Reconstruction
by Exilo
Summary: Five years after the bloody end of the war...and nothing has exactly changed. Ships are still attacked, lives still lost, and no peace is in sight... Post-Halo 3 epic. Anchor of the Reconstruction Franchise. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

**This has been…WAY too long coming. But it's finally here. A vast majority of the characters appear courtesy of their owners, who can be found on the Reconstruction Franchise profile. As well, a timeline of the events and other fics can be found there. The link to that page is on my profile.**

_Chapter 1_

The operation was kept on a strict need to know basis. The operation went as high as Supreme Commander Rtas Vadum, which meant it was about as high as it could be for the Sangheili. Iza didn't actually know who else knew about the operation. At the end of the day, he was little more than a grunt, after all. Nothing but cannon fodder, meant to take a bullet so a Sangheili would be spared. Still, he had an odd sort of feeling in his gut. Some tingle on the back of his neck. Something that told him he shouldn't be here. Working here. Fighting on this planet. Even more than he usually felt. He never wanted to fight, but this time felt different. He just wanted to leave.

But he couldn't. Fleeing from the battle would earn a swift death from the ever watchful Sangheili. Besides, he wasn't actually going to be on the front lines. He was serving as the operation's sniper, mostly because the Sangheili didn't view sniping as an honorable course of action. For that reason, not only did any of them want to serve as sniper, they _wanted_ to leave a Kig-Yar with the position that would taint their honor.

He was supposed to kill Jiralhanae and San 'Shyuum, as those were the enemies. He had killed a Jiralhanae on occasion (something he was actually rather proud of), but he had never killed a San 'Shyuum. He had never even seen San 'Shyuum too close save that giggly female a while back. Apparently, now everyone was believing that the San 'Shyuum were all snakes in the grass. That they had sent so many to slaughter and slaughtered so many humans. So many of his brothers had been killed on a San 'Shyuum's whim.

Honestly, Iza didn't much care. Honestly, he had nothing personal against the Jiralhanae or the San 'Shyuum. Honestly, he was just here doing what the Sangheili paid him for.

The easiest thing to do would be to just glass the damn planet and be done with it. Why Sangheili insisted on killing a few Brutes on the ground before just glassing the planet anyway just made no sense to Iza. Lives were lost, every time. Brutes, he had learned, were far from mindless rabid dogs that the Sangheili had always said they were before the Schism. They were cunning, and clever, and being backed into a corner seemed to make them even more vicious (if that were possible).

The planet had been dubbed "Ash" by the humans, and Iza found it easier to refer to it as such rather than its Covenant designation (RDARD-4356235624). Volcanic wasn't the right name for the terrain. Maybe hellish was a bit more proper. It was considered uninhabitable, because there was such polluted atmosphere. The air was forever shrouded with thick cinders that would burn out a human's lungs in a day or so. The Sangheili were all wearing face masks meant for survival in zero-space. Iza settled for a re-breather of human make. The point was: the planet really wasn't doing anyone any good. They could glass it, and it wouldn't even change the atmosphere all that much.

But the Sangheili wanted to lock blades, and Iza didn't want to argue, so cradling his rifle he leaned back in his seat. The Phantom made no noise as it sped over the ground. It was some stealth model, Iza didn't know the specifics, but god willing, the Jiralhanae and San 'Shyuum wouldn't hear them coming. They could swoop and crush the little birds with one big stone.

His squad…well, the squad he was a part of, was of mixed species. Sangheili mostly, of course, since they wanted to kill more than anyone. A couple Grunts, cannon fodder even more than he was, even after the treaty and amnesty they were no more than cannon fodder. No Mgalekgolo, but Mgalekgolo rarely left their planet now a days. They were represented in any talks mostly because people were afraid of them. Humans said they wanted extensive assimilation so there were humans here. They said they wanted to help fight. The real reason that they sought to have a multitude of species was to get the aliens used to having humans around. All and all, they were still the weakest in the grand scheme of things. But if they made however many friends, that would help in the long run.

Were it so easy…

XXX

In total, there were seven San 'Shyuum. This was the largest collection of them since the Schism. For this meeting, this last hope to stave off their death for another generation, they had come out of hiding, which none were comfortable with. The planet was chosen for its obscurity. The place of the meeting was an area that had once been a human base. By setting up near countless air purifiers in the base, the small area's air was relatively breathable.

The Prophet of Dignity stood at the head of the cluster. He was the senior San 'Shyuum, but that wasn't saying much, as they were all rather young in terms of how long San 'Shyuum lived for. He still had a Gravity Throne though, something that none of the other San 'Shyuum were in possession of.

The Prophetess of Wrath sighed, looking to him, then up to Exilius, who stood behind her. She was the only one who had brought a bodyguard, probably the only one who still had a furry titan to protect her. She smiled at the thought of that, and decided she would much rather have a chieftain than a Gravity Throne, or a small army of Unggoy still beaten and trained to stay at the heel, or a group of Kig-Yar mercenaries. Her attention waned. For a bit, she studied the human architecture. It was rather interesting actually. All of it was rather dull, and lacked any luster. In contrasts to the regal purple, and the soft curves and smooth edges of Covenant technology, humans seemed to just love gray.

"My fellow San 'Shyuum," Dignity said softly. "I have called you all here for one simple reason…we are…we are close to extinction. We've not the numbers, nor the warriors, nor the strength to keep as we are. Our protectors have fallen, or abandoned us." For just a moment, he cast a gaze to Exilius, who stood there not moving. "The Sangheili, and humans, stand poised to finish us off and wipe us from the galaxy. We…we haven't the numbers the Jiralhanae have. We haven't the strength. For so long, we relied on others to aid us and protect us. But now they have left us, and we are alone.

"I've no doubt the noble Jiralhanae would welcome us onto Doisac, or within their colonies, but that does not solve the dilemma we are faced with. For now, the war is endless. The Sangheili and the humans glass a colony of ours or the Jiralhanae. We and the Jiralhanae glass one of theirs in retaliation. On and on and on and on. This was cannot end well. We haven't the strength to continue, and neither do the Sangheili, and the humans never had."

His throne floated a moment, and he left the conference table, and circled the table gently. He moved on the side opposite Wrath, perhaps noting the bodyguard who would not have allowed him to draw too close to her. He moved on. A moment later, the glass window at the closest wall shattered. There was a painful yelp, and a moment later Dignity slumped in his throne, and even in the dim lights, the glow of his blood was noticeable as it splashed onto the table and several of the San 'Shyuum.

Before Wrath could scream, there was a thick, tree trunk of an arm around her chest, yanking her back. Exilius backed away from the table, holding her close, his arms thick walls that would keep her safe.

"Move!" he roared, slipping out through the door. The San 'Shyuum stumbled as best they could, only surviving because the sniper didn't bother taking additional shots. It was a common tactic, one that Exilius had learned the humans had taken to during the war. Rather than bothering to kill every soldier individually, they simply killed the leader, which left the others in disarray. But if Sangheili were involved, which they most certainly were, then the attack was far from over.

Exilius didn't have much interest in the other San 'Shyuum, and in their panic they mostly went their separate ways. He might need his hands, so he set Wrath down, then brushed her behind him. He took his Spiker off his belt and approached the nearest corner. Sniffing the air, he couldn't smell any humans or Sangheili, but wouldn't put it past them to hide their scent somehow.

"Exi," Wrath whimpered. "What are we going to do?"

Exilius snorted, taking his hammer off his back. "Get back to the vehicle, then back to the ship. Stay close." With a snort, he hefted his hammer and started running. Wrath watched him roar and charge, until, reaching the wall, he swung his hammer. The impact sent a wide vibration through the stone, and a moment later it cracked and whined, then shattered into a filthy cloud of dust. "Come," Exilius said lowly. Wrath stumbled off. And, much to his surprise, several San 'Shyuum followed after, mostly because they had no one else to follow.

XXX

"I thought you quit," Private First Class Alvin Johnstone said to Lieutenant Azula Broeland, as the latter sparked her lighter, trying to ignite the cigarette in her mouth. Azula gave a muffled growl, before closing the lighter and putting it in the breast pocket of her suit. She did continue chewing on her cigarette however, in a nervous sort of way.

"Scared?" Alvin continued.

"I don't get scared," Azula said. "Fear is an illogical response to an outside stimuli. Fear doesn't do you any good, ever. What's worse, it makes you panic, which makes you stupid." She pulled her shotgun up to her chest, cradling it. "Now…cautious. Yes, I am cautious. Very…very cautious."

"Don't see why you want to be scared or cautious. Not like the 'Leets are going to let us fight at all, or even get close enough to squeeze a trigger. They want all the glory for themselves. I mean, you ever wonder why we're here?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "Here? As in…on a Pelican headed to aid our noble Elite allies? Yeah, I have. I wonder why we still bother to get involved with the Elites and their petty feud with the Brutes. Alright, we're in a treaty, but still, what is the point?" She sighed. This was all humans ever got to do nowadays. The Elites had decided that their new human allies were more important than the Grunts that they wantonly sent to their death, yet not important enough to aid much in the war effort. The real fighting. But honestly, that was fine with Azula. She really didn't have an interest in killing and murder, not that she ever had, but now especially. Hopefully, by the time they touched down, the battle would be over.

On this dropship, there were five humans, as well as one Sangheili meant to serve as field commander. Integration. All that stuff. Of all the Sangheili it could be, Azula had really lucked out.

Stealth operative Priya Kanla was really not that bad for an Elite. She wasn't as pompous and arrogant as others of her kind. She wasn't as brutal and reckless and downright cruel as others. At the very least, she was as tolerable as an alien could be. She was sitting at the farthest seat, holding her sword in her lap. Not a sword like other Elites had swords: those sort of glowy blue things. Priya carried what Azula always thought looked like a human made katana, or at least something more likely for a Brute to be carrying. Brutes always loved big knives.

"They're going to get us killed, you're a fool if you think otherwise."

Azula turned to Alvin. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. We spend thirty years in the war, right? We suffer a hell of a lot, but the Sangheili suffer, and they are probably still sore about that. More and more, they are taking units out of reconstruction and putting them in this war effort. Now why would they do that? Integration? No. They are throwing more humans into the gears of war as some sort of vengeance, like we haven't fucking suffered enough. Hence, we are going to die."

"Ever the optimist, huh?"

"When you're as old as I, you will get to know this stuff."

"Alvin, I'm two years older than you are."

"That's not the point."

Azula was tempted to smack Alvin across the jaw. It wouldn't have shut him up, but it would have made her feel a lot better, since deep down, she suspected he was right…

The ship rocked suddenly. Azula quickly grabbed hold of the seat, as well as her shotgun. Alvin, who had been standing, was not so lucky, and was thrown towards the front of the ship. Azula cringed as she watched Operative Kanla reach out, and gave a deep sigh of relief as Priya merely set the human down in the seat beside her. "Pilot?" Priya barked over the radio.

"Sorry ma'am. Got…got multiple automated Tangos. Jesus, I thought resistance was supposed to be light? Where the hell did all these turrets come from? And where the hell is the first wave?"

Priya hissed, and shook her head. "Soldiers," she said, standing, and bracing herself on the railing that ran over the roof of the ship. "Our intelligence was mistaken…"

"…Yeah, that's a surprise," Alvin whispered.

"We have encountered heavy automated defenses, most likely human in nature. But we've no reason to believe there are any more San 'Shyuum than we once thought. It is in their nature to rely on machines than their own merit."

"Uh…ma'am, got a rise on fire team Mike on the radio. They're attempting to breach the outer wall and are waiting for us."

"Set us down pilot, near our comrades."

"Yes ma'am."

Azula sighed, lifting her shotgun and standing up, and shifting her breathing mask over her face. Alvin scurried forward, away from the Elite, and pulled his own mask down. "That one, she'll be the death of us," Alvin said, referring to Priya.

Azula believed this was called a "file" by the Covenant: about five "lesser creatures" with one Elite as the commander. Once they moved a few yards forward and rendezvoused with fire team Mike, they numbered in about ten or eleven. Mike was composed solely of humans, which was probably a huge relief to Alvin and his conspiracy theories. Despite that, Priya seemed to maintain command, as she ordered the team to enter the complex. "First thing is first, the base's automated defenses have been activated, and as this is a human base I take it is human defenses. We must remove the defenses from play so that the fleets can fly in freely."

"Wort wort wort," Alvin muttered under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

"Exi…Exilius," Wrath said, squirming in Exilius' grip. He set her down, growling, looking to her. "We can't just leave the others."

"Yes, we most certainly can. We've got to get out of here before the fleets decide to get serious."

"Chieftain," Wrath shouted. "We can't just leave them to die. We can get to the ship, and we can all escape."

"They'll slow us down."

"I'll slow you down; you aren't going to leave me, right?"

Exilius sighed. He lowered to one knee, so he could more easily address Wrath, and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Get the others. Get them to the hangar. The Sangheili are probably already at the gates. I will make sure they don't bother you."

"Exilius…you're not going to…"

"I will meet up with you at the ship. Just get the others to a transport and get out of here, clear of the blast range."

Wrath placed a dainty hand on Exilius' wide shoulders. "I will see you again, chieftain."

"And I you, prophetess.

Wrath took a deep breath, and turned and headed down the hall. Exilius waved a hand, gesturing for the other San 'Shyuum to follow.

Exilius walked against them, casually approaching the control room of the base, where all defenses were managed. He growled under his breath. The only chairs were flimsy things meant for humans that would probably turn to dust under the weight of his rear. He just stood there, watching the dozens of monitors as they flickered and shown the approaching invasion. Phantoms, Ghosts, Warthogs, Pelicans, and lots and lots of infantry. He smiled to himself, idly looking over his Spiker mostly because he had nothing else to do. Then he looked up to the monitors.

The enemies were getting closer. Closer and closer. More and more drop ships and fighters on the horizon, shooting at the automatic turrets. But the fortress was still holding against the infantry and vehicles. The whole thing was so densely composed, its wall so thick, Exilius had to marvel at the human ingenuity. He admired this whole base, and if not for the enemies, it would be a place he would love to visit. Of course, if the Sangheili would just glass the whole damn planet from orbit, nothing would have survived, but he had betted that they would rather cross swords in that ridiculous pursuit of honor.

"Chieftain," came Wrath's voice in his ear, her trying hard to sound dignified and sure of herself in the presence of other San 'Shyuum. "We are nearly out of range. I would advise launch the missle now."

"As you wish, ma'am," he said softly, smiling to himself. And turning he headed out the hallways and to the room that housed the missile.

XXX

Iza looked away from the ghastly spectacle that was before him. One of the human snipers had jumped the gun, and shot one of the San 'Shyuum. Iza wasn't completely sure if the resulting corporal punishment was because the human disobeyed a direct order, or stole the chance for the Sangheili to claim the kill. Either way, Iza was glad that it wasn't him. He was glad he never, ever took initiative in anything.

It wasn't a fair fight, but for all that the Sangheili went on and on about honor, when was it a fair fight with them? Whole fleet glassing a civilian planet, yeah, that was fair. Iza gave a low hiss. But this was an in your face unfair fight. An 8'6" muscle-bound creature against a 5'11" human. The other humans just stared. Maybe they were afraid of the commander's wrath; maybe they enjoyed the sight of blood. Whatever it was, Iza wasn't going to be the one to come to the fool's aid. Iza didn't like Sangheili, truth be told. Not that he liked anyone, but Sangheili…He'd been sent to his death enough times to harbor some ill will towards them.

Above them, there was the whooshing of the dropships, both UNSC and Covenant in make. The Supreme Commander really wasn't pulling any punches today. He was out for blood, and for just a couple San 'Shyuum, he had pulled out all the stops. Pathetic, Iza mused, watching the great ships vroom above him. What a waste.

And then, looking to the base that supposedly held the San 'Shyuum they all wanted to kill so badly, something was rising from it. The commander was too busy with his punishment upon the unfortunate marine, and the marines were too occupied with the grim spectacle, to notice. Iza slipped away from the group and walked along, adjusting his helmet to better view what was flying up. He figured an escape ship, and that ship would be slaughtered by the orbiting cruisers. But it wasn't a ship.

"Commander," Iza said, looking over his shoulder at the Sangheili. "Commander!"

"Silence, wretch, or you will be next," the commander shouted.

Iza thought of saying that there was a missile soaring up into the sky. He thought of grabbing the closest marine to him and yanking him into cover to save the mesmerized fool's life. Instead, Iza softly strolled over to one of the Mongooses that had been taken. He reved the engine, looking over his shoulder at the missile, then to the Sangheili, who noticed the engine's sound. The Sangheili roared something. Iza's foot had already found the gas and he was speeding away from the battle, away from where he was sure the missile would drop down.

"Something is coming out of the base, I repeat, something is coming out of the base! Evacuate. Evacuate!" Iza hissed under his breath. Like he needed a warning from the over watch.

He looked over his shoulder, and saw the missile climbing higher and higher into the sky. And then it exploded. There was a beautiful flash of a brilliant white, like a thousand suns exploding all at once. Then the shockwave ripped through the air. A powerful force hit Iza's back, and what was worse, the Mongoose froze up. Iza screamed as the vehicles momentum quickly slowed and steering became impossible. When the Mongoose roared and flipped, he was thrown from it, landing hard on the ground.

His head was throbbing. His ears were screaming. His whole body just wanted to lay down and die. For all his helmet's flashy targeting system and re-breather, it was all and all a rather delicate piece of equipment. He had landed on his head, so on the one hand, it had probably saved him from a concussion. On the other, it was nothing but a paperweight now. He sighed, unlatching it and taking it off. He took a breath, and nearly gagged on the thick, ashen air. He coughed several times. The coughing grew too intense, and he ended up on the ground, on all fours, hacking and gasping, until he finally got a hold of his breathing. The air was still toxic, but hopefully he would manage for the time being, until he found something else.

With a heavy breath, he pushed himself to his feet, though felt a little light headed. Probably from the lack of proper air. He gritted his beak, and for the first time looked up.

"By the rings," he gasped.

XXX

Azula groaned, sitting up. Her helmet was cracked. Probably from the shockwave from the bomb, or when one of the Pelicans came spiraling out of sky and crashed into the ground. She rolled over and vomited blood through the hole over the bottom of her visor. "Alvin," she shouted. "Alvin? You alive?"

Somewhere, there was a groan. Azula looked to her side. "I'm alive ma'am," he said. "Not by much, but I am a bit alive."

"Anyone else?"

A shout. "Lieutenant," Captain McMichael shouted. He came stumbling forward, holding his side. "Where is the Sangheili?"

"A bit back," Alvin said. He gave a dark chuckle. "She saved me. I guess I owe you a coke Azula." He looked to the sky. "What is going on?"

"Fuckers set off an EMP. Must have been one in storage on the base." The captain looked over his rifle. "Helmets are dead, radios are too. Rifles are fucked up, but hopefully they'll still fire right. I don't know, I never been in an EMP's blast before."

Alvin sighed. "Can we go home now?"

"No, we came here with a mission. And that mission is to kill some Monkeys and Brains. Alvin, Mickey, head out. Try and find something we can drive. Mickey, see if you can get it running. We don't know what we are going to deal with. Hal, stay with the Sangheili. If she comes to, put up a flare. Otherwise, stay hidden."

"Captain," Hal said. "The translators are off line. And I'm not fluent in Wort Wort Wort."

"Then use fucking sock puppets. Would you rather go hunting the Brute with us? The rest of you, we're Oscar Mike. We're doubling back. This is just a diversion. Something to cause confusion in our ranks, cause they just knocked off their own defenses. They're trying to slip by us. But if our vehicles are down, so are theirs. They're traveling on foot."

Azula sighed. Guns really weren't that complex. In all this time, to Azula's knowledge, they didn't have anything electronic that might get shorted out by an EMP. Well, the rifles did have the bullet count on the top, the flashlight at the base, some had sighting aids and scopes, but those didn't affect the shooting. Covenant weapon, on the other hand, was all electrical, not to mention all the turrets and automated defenses. Something wasn't right. Sure…now all the dropships were falling out of the sky and the main ships had fallen back in fear, some may have even been damaged. But something was wrong still. She just didn't know what.

"Lieutenant, we're Oscar Mike."

Azula sighed, hoisting her shotgun up and following after. "This is some fucked up shit," she muttered. "Shit falling out of the sky, and we still haven't seen a Monkey or a Brain. Jesus fucks. Captain, do we even have a way to get out messages? Do we have enough flares or something? What if we're the only ones still alive?"

"We know we have a mission," the captain said again. "Never pegged you for a whiner."

Azula sighed. By now at least, most of the ships had already crashed to earth. God knows how many people had been killed. She squeezed the grip of her shotgun. "I'm going to make that fucking Brute swallow a buckshot."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

_Nothing in life is free._

The Prophetess of Wrath had said that once, and now Exilius remembered her words. She was right. There was such chaos and confusion in the skies and on the ground, he could just about walk along without anyone bothering him. Ships were spiraling out of the sky. The humans on the ground were more worried with their wounded than the chieftain, but he still moved fast and avoided larger groups of humans who were attempting to organize and hunt him down. If he came upon one lone human with blown out eye drums and blood in their eyes, or one trying in vain to suture a gaping hole in his comrade's chest, he just went past them.

His Spiker was working. Not unlike human weapons, Jiralhanae weapons were extremely simple, almost primitive. No fancy electronics needed to fire the projectiles. Not even anything electronic for the sights. It was so remarkably simple. His hammer, on the other hand, was a little more complicated a creation. It utilized a store of energy, so it was damaged by the EMP's blast. He could still crush and carve up enemies, but he was a little worried. He cared about his hammer like it was a brother. The thought of permanent damage angered him to no end. One of the humans he came upon served as the object of his release. He ripped the human limb from limb and stomped the body into grease. That made him feel a bit better. Lowering into a squat, he began to move at a brisk run.

For a Jiralhanae, Exilius was fairly athletic. Even with the heavy armor and short legs, he could move at a good pace. And more than that, he had a strong heart and strong lungs that translated to high endurance, so while a Sangheili could outpace him, he could go at least a few miles.

He had never told Wrath this part of the plan, mostly because it didn't exist. He could never lie to her, she was too smart. But he asked her to trust him, which she did. He asked her to wait for one cycle at the rendezvous, and if he didn't reach it, she was to take off and flee to one of the sectors still in Jiralhanae control. At the way things were looking, he was going to have to go all the way there on foot. Fortunately, the ashen air gave him some cover, even if it burned his lungs. Hopefully the humans were taking it just as bad, if not worse, with their pathetic little bodies.

He wished his radio worked, but it was dead along with everything else. If the motion sensor in his helmet was working, he would have noticed a bleeping just a while forward. But it wasn't, and the air was too thick for him to really see. Coming upon the top of a large hill, he lowered onto his rump and gently slid down to the bottom, right into the middle of a patrolling human squad.

XXX

Captain McMichael shouted as the Brute seemingly came out of the heavy air and was suddenly in their midst. Interestingly, other than that, none of the parties moved. The humans were all so shocked by the intrusion that they wasted precious seconds just standing there dumbly. Exilius was guilty of this as well. He had passed beyond their lines. They shouldn't have been here, they should have been pressing into the base now. But these humans had doubled back.

Azula was first to engage. She lifted her shotgun to her eye and leveled with the chieftain's face. The chieftain noticed this and lifted the heavy armor on his left hand to shield himself. Still, the force of the shot sent him back a few paces.

"Shoot the fucking thing!" Azula shouted, pumping her shotgun and lifting to shoot again.

"Kill the Brute," the captain said. "Keep him off balance." For his part, the captain lifted his assault rifle, and peppered the Brute with shots. The other soldiers did the same, spreading out, shooting little bursts at him and staying out of his range.

Exilius turned his back to the majority of the bullets, so his heavy armor would protect him as he took up his hammer. His shields were dead, but he trusted his armor and the natural endurance of his kind to sustain him. Spinning and using that to build momentum, he lifted the hammer, before smashing it into the ground. Several humans fell over. The toxic air was slowing their movements, making them sluggish. Azula, the closest to the impact of the hammer and resulting tremor through the ground, was sent farthest. She sat up, just in time to see Exilius lifting a big foot over Captain McMichael, and smashing it down onto his chest. The captain screamed, then lay down and went limp. Azula wasn't sure if he was dead, she didn't care. Neither did the rest of the squad. Instead of reloading, they swarmed over the Brute, bashing him with the butts of rifles or cutting at open areas in his armor with combat knives.

Again, Exilius swung in a horizontal arc. The destructive head of the hammer, as well as the protruding blade at the back, was too far to catch any of the humans. But the shaft hit several of the humans who were not fast enough to duck, and screamed and roared at broken ribs and cracked shoulders.

"This is insane," Azula muttered. "Hey monkey," she shouted, lifting her shotgun and putting another shot into him. "Monkey, over here."

Exilius turned to her, growling loudly, as he took the Spiker off his belt and fired a burst of orange at her. She ducked to her side, but one of the orange spikes dug deep into her shoulder, and left her helpless on the ground as the Brute stomped over. A kick knocked the shotgun to the side. She watched the Brute take up Spiker, reloading the weapon with a few movements of his hand. "Fuck…"

Then she heard the roar of an engine. She looked to her side, to see a Warthog charging at them, Mickey in the driver seat. Exilius turned and fired his Spiker at the Warthog, but the Warthog crashed into Exilius at the chest and drove him back. He smashed against the hill he had slid down before, the Warthog smashed into him, and the front bumper came to rest at Exilius' pectorals. His armor spared him death, but he felt something crack deep inside him. And the awkward angle it was at made pushing it away difficult. He thrashed and roared for a time, trying desperately to get free.

Mickey crawled back, out of the seat and onto the gun turret. He aimed at the Brute's thrashing head, but try as he might, the chieftain was perched at the turret's blind spot, just in front of the vehicle. That didn't stop Mickey from shooting, but the bullets just missed the chieftain's head.

Bracing himself, Exilius worked his hands under the Warthog, and with a great heave of his legs forced the vehicle up. Mickey was thrown backward awkwardly. Exilius pushed the vehicle back, then moved out from under it and forward. Mickey drew his pistol. Exilius stomped over, and swung his foot into Mickey's chest, sending him back.

The captain had somehow regained consciousness. He sat up, groaning and checking for something to use on the chieftain, who stomped over to him. Exilius bent and picked him up, resting the bayonet of the Spiker against his throat. Exilius growled once in his face. The captain tilted his head back, gagging and squirming.

Then, to the captain's shock, Exilius dropped him to the ground. Captain McMichael looked up to see Exilius holding his Spiker aimed down. A slight flick of the wrist, and Exilius gestured for the captain to move. The captain swallowed and nodded, standing up. He fell over once, holding his chest in agony. A second time he managed to stand, though albeit barely. "Lieutenant," he said. "See who's still alive. Looks like we're hostages."

XXX

"Fucking humans and their fucking vehicles," Iza muttered. He had forged some tools and spare parts from one of the crashed dropships, and had hoped that his understanding of mechanics would help him. Way back on that sand planet when he was still working for Chieftain Taurus, that whole base was more or less in a bubble. They had no back up from the Covenant or the Loyalists, so upkeep fell to whoever was on the base. Though there was no love lost between Iza and that chieftain (who he had had a hand in killing no less), Iza could not deny that he had learned a lot in that time. Amongst them, was basic upkeep of vehicles. An engine was an engine. A Mongoose and a Chopper were actually pretty similar. No way he could deal with the plasma propulsion of the Sangheili's preferred vehicles, Iza was confident he could get the Mongoose working.

Apparently he was wrong, which explained his tirade about humans and their respective vehicles. Perhaps because this was not a damaged engine, but a fried one, but there had to be something to do. So he did everything. And when that didn't work, in his anger, he delivered a hard kick to the middle of the vehicle. The vehicle suddenly came to life with a low growl. Iza shrugged and mounted it, checking the engine, and found it started to roar. That was a huge relief. Now he could get far away from the base, and hopefully catch a ride on one of the larger evac ships that must be coming down soon.

The air was horrible but really, what was the Loyalist plan? Give all the Alliance asthma? The EMP was an annoyance, and there had been casualties from the dropping ships, but now what? Hopefully, they wouldn't be on this planet long enough for anyone to really die from the air. Just get a bad cough. And now he was mobile. He didn't have to pant and struggle over the uneven terrain. He was driving in style. Only once did he stop alongside a human, who seemed to be unconscious, probably passed out from the air. From him, Iza took a pair of magnum pistols from his belt, along with the assault rifle that went on his back, and a few spare clips. Iza didn't know what to expect, and he wanted to be safe.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Exilius wouldn't show it, but he was hurt. Every few steps, he lifted his hand to his mouth and coughed silently, and more than once he noticed blood staining his fingers. Walking aggravated the aching in his chest. Broken ribs maybe, that turned inside and tore into his lungs. If the humans cared to notice, the impact of the Warthog had actually crushed his chest plate, and there were very large holes and cracks in the armor. The humans didn't seem to notice. They were walking in front of him, and only occasionally turned back, as if to confirm that the great behemoth was still stomping behind them. No matter what pain was in Exilius' chest from when the vehicle hit him, he never once dropped his Spiker's aim.

When he heard the roar of an engine in the distance, he was tempted to just put all the humans down. It could only be a human vehicle after all, with a human driver. It would take time to put the humans down though. And weakened as he was, if they all attacked him at once, beating him with punches and kicks, they might actually put him off his feet. He had made them each relinquish their weapons and upper clothing to be sure they weren't hiding anything, but he knew humans were still capable of fighting with fists and feet. For now at least, they thought he could rip them apart without any problem. They thought his coughing was just because of the thick air.

He snarled and pointed at his left. The captain ordered the other humans to move to where ordered, while Exilius stomped to the right, behind the cover of a large mound of rock. He placed his Spiker on his belt and took up his hammer, holding it above his head, ready to swing. He had heard the distant growl of an engine. He did not care how a vehicle was working after the EMP, he only cared about neutralizing the threat. He listened as the engine grew closer, pausing, snorting, waiting. When he had decided that the vehicle was just right, Exilius swung down, and smashed the hammer into the ground.

XXX

Iza screamed as the hammer seemingly dropped out of nowhere and into his path. The hammer came short of smashing the Mongoose, instead the Mongoose crashed straight into the hammer. The hammer had been stuck into the ground, making something as solid as a wall to crash into.

For the second time in recent memory, Iza found himself flung off a Mongoose. This time though, he knew to roll to avoid injury. First he tucked his head close to his body and lifted his arms to protect his head and neck from impact. He also rolled along the ground, so that none of his body took the brunt of the impact against the rocky terrain, though he got no small amount of cuts and scrapes. All this took place in a single moment.

Groaning, he looked up, just in time to see Exilius stomping over to him. Iza groaned and rolled over to all fours, and tried to scramble away, when he felt a firm hand on his ankle yank him back. Iza turned, pulling the pistol off his hip and aiming up. He was a bit between the chieftain's legs from the force of the yank. Taking quick view of the chieftain, Iza noticed a large hole in the breastplate. The chieftain was hunched over and aiming to crush Iza's skull with his left armored hand. Iza jammed the muzzle of the magnum into the hole, pushing it against the chest, which gave the chieftain pause.

Exilius growled lowly. His hammer couldn't be used in this range, and his Spiker was still on his belt, and he lowered his left hand so he wasn't off balance. Of course, if Iza did shoot and the chieftain lost his balance, he would be crushed under the Brute's girth.

Captain McMichael, inching closer to the distracted chieftain, suddenly reached forward and snatched the Spiker from his belt. The captain danced back out of range, taking up the Spiker and aiming at Exilius. Iza, confused at what was going on, took out his second magnum and aimed at the captain.

"Kig-Yar," the captain ordered. "Name and rank."

Iza growled, pulling the hammer back on his pistol. "Iza, marksmen. What is going on?"

"Who's side are you on?" the captain asked. Exilius asked the same thing, though in the Covenant's language. And it occurred to Iza that neither the human nor the Jiralhanae could understand each other. Iza, on the other hand, didn't need a translator to understand or speak. Again, this thought passed through him in little more than a moment. The truth was, Iza was loyal to himself. He cared for himself, and only himself. But temporarily, he could give his loyalty to someone.

He may not like Jiralhanae, but he knew their incredible strength. He knew their power. And he also reasoned that the chieftain, despite the dangers of two guns on him, was the one in power. Even if Iza shot him at pointblank, he might still have the time to kill a few people. More than that, if he died, Iza would be crushed under him. Iza wanted him to live, and turned both guns onto the human. "Drop it," he ordered.

The captain moved his aim down to Iza. Iza squeezed the trigger, and shot the human between the eyes. Exilius snorted, and stood up. "Iza?" he asked.

Iza stood up as well, swaying his two magnums at the remaining humans, afraid that one would try to attack him in revenge for the one he had killed. "Yes…"

"I am Chieftain Exilius. You're deputized as my second in command." He walked over and retrieved his dropped Spiker. "Ask the humans where they would go for a pick up."

Iza nodded, and did as he was asked. The lieutenant, the next in command of the human squad, answered, and Iza quickly translated for Exilius. "In the event of an emergency, they are to radio their position. Since there are no radios, they plan to simply to reach a high point and signal for pick up with a flare."

Exilius paused, thinking, then said to Iza, "Ask them why they would tell the truth."

Iza did, and translated, "Because her primary concern is the safety of her men. If they reach the rendezvous, they will hopefully be able to escape one way or another." Iza shrugged. "At least she is honest.

Exilius coughed briefly into his hand, and wiped the muck onto his thigh. "Tell them they can load the wounded onto the Mongoose, and drive alongside us. The one with the broken leg is only slowing us down. But if the one on the Mongoose flees, I will slaughter the others."

Iza nodded, and translated. The humans, rather than responding, merely carried their crippled brother onto the vehicle. They set him on, and he revved the engine, before starting to inch along. On foot, the others followed after.

XXX

"This is Colonel Reynold Cash, commander of the _Rhiannon._ We were passing through the sector when we registered a massive disturbance planet side. We are here to offer assistance."

Kazanna, who appeared on the pedestal beside the shipmaster's seat, was sitting cross-legged. "Still no rise out of anyone," she said. "I'm seeing signs of active ships, but none are responding…oh wait. We have a message from the _Eternity Darkness_. One of the newer human/Sangheili cooperative ships. Shipmaster: Rik Crolun, a Sangheili zealot. I'll patch him through."

"Thank you Kazanna," the colonel said softly. Turning to his monitor, he greeted the Sangheili warmly and cordially, while Kazanna flicked out of sight. She was still there, watching, but she figured the colonel wanted his "privacy".

"Shipmaster Crolun, do you require any aid? We..."

"No," the shipmaster said sharply. "And with respect, _human_, this is a classified operation. You should not be here. I will ask you to leave the sector."

Omnipresent was perhaps the best word to describe Kazanna when she was aboard the _Rhiannon. _She could stretch her mind and influence to its every nook and cranny, read the weapon read out, shield levels, monitor the cameras in the halls, and the camera outside that watched the surface of the planet. For this reason, she noticed the red flicker of light that sped up from the surface and into the air, before exploding into a firework like display. Instantly she cut the camera feed that watched the surface off, and waited for the firework to flicker and die before she let it play. The colonel didn't notice. He was talking with the shipmaster, and Kazanna waited for him to finish to appear on the pedestal. "Reynold," she said. "I think you should send out a small Pelican on reconnaissance."

"The Elite made it clear, we're to leave the sector."

"There is someone down there. I saw an emergency flare. I cut the feed so the Sangheili would not be made aware of it. I think that something is wrong."

Reynold nodded. He had served alongside Kazanna for almost seven years now. He had learned to trust her, just as much as he did any of the flesh and blood members of his crew. "If you think that best, Kazanna. I will organize a squad. Can you figure out the coordinates of the flare?"

"I believe so sir, I will tell them to the squad before they leave."

The crew was organized with no large problem. Even though the _Rhiannon _was a science vessel, it still boasted a decent security force. Four men, plus one pilot, were ordered into a drop ship and set out to the coordinates that Kazanna had given them.

XXX

"Don't do anything stupid, and this will end. Try to warn them, or flee, and everyone dies, starting with you." Iza translated what Exilius said for Azula, who gave a somewhat aloof shrug. She turned to her men, and gave them the order, that under no circumstances, should they interfere with what came next. Humans were not unlike Unggoy, Exilius mused. He watched the small female as she ordered, then took his hammer off his belt and set it down behind him. Iza took a few steps away, slinking deep into the thick, ashen air to avoid anyone immediately seeing him. The humans stayed a few steps back, and Azula walked forward, waving her hands as the Pelican drop ship came down to the planet.

Four soldiers immediately came out of the drop ship, each armed with the standard issue assault rifle, and each paused at the sight of the great chieftain. "Lieutenant Broeland, I'm the one who sent up the flare," Azula said, coming forward.

"What's with the Brute ma'am?"

"We managed to take him, we're going to turn him over to the Elites and see what they want to do with him. You got any masks? My men have been huffing the ashes all day. It's not healthy."

One of the humans shuffled back into the drop ship and took several facemasks off the wall. He came out and quickly passed one to Azula. For the other humans, who were standing quite a distance back, he shuffled towards them and began passing them around.

The air was whipping itself into a storm and hissing fiercely, so the humans didn't notice as Iza came behind the trio who were still near the drop ship. He made sure to click the hammers of the two pistols he held extra loud, and then pressed them into the back of the head of two of the humans. The third turned, and lifted his rifle, but Azula took him around the middle in a bear hug and held his arms down. Exilius quickly drew the Spiker from his belt and turned to the fourth human, who had let his rifle sling at his side so he could carry the face masks.

Exilius snorted, and turned, picking up his hammer and then backing into the drop ship. And for a time, Iza was the only one left, holding his two pistols against the mass of men. Though they had mostly been disarmed, a mass attack could be a problem. Azula thought of attacking him, but soon enough the Brute came stomping back out, carrying the pilot (literally carrying the poor man like he was a doll) in one hand and several bindings in the others. And then came what happened before. Iza translated the orders for the humans, which involved relinquishing all weapons, and then binding their hands behind their back with the restraints the chieftain had brought out. But again, the chieftain explained that if they all cooperated, they would not be harmed.

Which, the more Azula thought about it, the more she believed it. Yes, none of them were Helljumpers. None of them were the most elite soldiers that the UNSC could offer. They were just rank and file marines, and they really didn't have a chance against a cream of the crop Jiralhanae. But all the same, if they all attacked in one great mass, they might be able to hurt the Brute, and they could certainly kill the Kig-Yar. In other words, it was best if each party cooperated. There was nothing to be gained from the chieftain killing the humans, and if the humans didn't resist, there was hope they would make it out. A soldiers first duty is to her mission, second to her squad, and third to herself. The mission was a failure, a clusterfuck. The least Azula could do was make sure her squad was alright.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

"Pelican 0702, please respond," Kazanna said. She paused for exactly five seconds, standard protocol, before saying again, "Pelican 0702, please respond. Mickey? Mickey what's happened. Did you find anyone?"

Kazanna sighed, and turned to the colonel. "I believe you should organize a small group of soldiers to greet the Pelican upon its arrival. No one is responding. It seems a logical possibility that the ship may have been compromised."

"Then we should just shoot it down," Reynold said.

"With respect sir, the Loyalists are not stupid. That was a ship with five men, not to mention I doubt very much a Brute could properly operate a flare gun, or would even know to send a flare up in the event of an emergency. My point is, sir, there is a very high likelihood that there are hostages on the drop ship. I would advise instead that a small unit is sent to the hangar, perhaps you would like to lead them. If there are Loyalists hiding on the ship, hopefully they can be quickly dispatched without harming the hostages."

Reynold sighed. "That bleeding heart does not work in a time of war, Kazanna."

Kazanna sighed. "It is your order, colonel. I am only offering another course of action, that will hopefully keep bloodshed to a minimum. But if you like, I will target lock the drop ship. I understand sacrifices must be made."

"No…you're right. If there is a human on that ship, I will do what I can to see them brought back safely. You are in command of the ship until I return."

"Yes colonel, and good luck."

The unit was organized quickly, but Kazanna still stalled the drop ship's entrance, until a few barriers could be hastily erected and the soldiers could be properly armed and armored. This time there were ten soldiers to greet the drop ship which may have had no one in it other than marines. Or it might have been filled with Brutes. The soldiers all tightened their grip, especially as the back of the drop ship opened and they were able to see inside, and see several humans tumbling dumbly out of ramp. One even came flying out of the deepest back, the result of being overhand thrown by the chieftain, who was quick to follow out.

Exilius had been right. Throwing out the humans had made the others flinch. Their own men flung and flying about had given the soldiers pause, as they feared killing their own brethren. That gave Exilius the time to come out into the open and throw a spike grenade against the far wall. It exploded nicely, showering the humans with burning orange.

But these were soldiers, and soldiers could deal with pain. Burning orange sticking in gut and shoulder, they opened fired and sprayed Exilius with bullets as he hefted his hammer, gave a loud roar, and charged with all his might.

His armor had taken damage, not just today, but for as long as this war had lasted. He had lacked access to proper repairs, and it had only lasted as long as it had by cannibalizing other sets of armor. But today, there were no shields and a rather large hole in the breast plate, not to mention the damage inside his body. Broken ribs, internal bleeding, his lungs felt like they were stuffed with glass. If the humans took the time to notice, they would see he was sloppy. Of course, to humans, Jiralhanae were always sloppy. But Jiralhanae, for their size, were almost graceful. They could move and shift and dodge and swing their great hammers with great efficiency. But right now, Exilius was sloppy. He missed swings, and exposed his body, and bullets found their way into his neck or the hole in his chest, digging deep enough that they ached fiercely.

But by virtue of his youth and the endurance natural to all Jiralhanae, he was still strong and able bodied. He wasn't focusing on killing, he was focusing on scattering and leaving them in disorder, which was actually easier. He could be sloppy, since all he really had to do was swing his hammer randomly and make them dodge, stomp and swing his arms and legs and knock humans back but he didn't have to bother to finish them off. When he finally finished scattering he was bleeding fiercely, but at least alive, and he ordered Iza to come out. Iza scurried over, holding the assault rifle he now carried level and ready to shoot any of the humans, but they seemed to be able to do little more than groan and stumble. Exilius ducked and scooped up one of the humans, the leader judging by his dress, and threw him over his shoulder, before stomping his way to the bridge.

By the time Exilius had reached the bridge, Kazanna had sealed the door tightly shut. The door was designed to be impregnable to invasion, as the bridge was the most important part of any human ship. Exilius was fairly sure he could break the door down. Even if the door didn't break, the frame would eventually bend in. But he wasn't sure if his body to could take that sort of exertion. Already, he was exhausted to the point of nearly collapsing.

Which was why he had brought the high ranking human. He turned to the camera, and lifted the human up to show his face. Exilius set the human down on his belly, before placing the scythe like blade of his hammer to the human's throat. Exilius lifts a foot, and placed his heel on the back of the human's head. "Open the door, or the corporal dies," Iza said. He didn't need to be told what to say. It was rather obvious.

Reynold spat out a wad of blood. His leg had been broken from when Exilius had stepped on him, to cripple him properly, and a simple punch from the Jiralhanae had done horrible damage. He tried putting his hands down and pushing himself up, but he felt the Brute's disgusting foot on his head and couldn't push against it. "Kazanna," he said. "Don't let them in."

Exilius growled and stomped his heel down on the small of his back. Reynold screamed. His lifted his hands and tried to push away, but the heel found head again. "That…" Iza sputtered. "That…Hey, bridge guy. Really, open the door."

The door opened. Exilius held his hammer by the middle and drew his Spiker. There were humans on the bridge. He waved his hand, and they all moved to one side. His attention was drawn to the tiny orange hologram, mostly because she was standing without fear, and she was the first to talk.

"May I ask your name?"

Exilius was taken back. She did not speak in the sharp tongue that humans spoke. She spoke in the Covenant's language, and Exilius understood what she said. Iza kept his assault rifle level with the seemingly unarmed crew of the bridge. Exilius focused closer on her. "You can speak?"

"Yes, I'm fluent in several languages. I take it this one will suffice? I'm not as fluent in your species' personal language, though I can try. The Unggoy tried making a Rosetta Stone of it, but they're not the best teachers. I can also offer you a translator if it's easier, though I strongly doubt you would accept it. Now, down to business. What do you want with my ship?"

"I want to get out of here…"

"Fine, you're a typical terrorist," Kazanna cut in. "Let's get the rules out first and foremost. You lay one oversized hand on any of the men here, and I'll activate the self destruct and blow us all up. You got that? I'm sure you're too dense to even try to hack my systems, but if you do, I lock the door to the bridge and gas this entire room before you could even figure out how to pry off my covering. I've already locked down the system. This ship won't move until I say so, so don't try anything stupid. You got that Brute?"

Exilius growled lowly. He thought of smashing his hammer into the hologram, but what good would that do? The tiny female was not real. She was an illusion. But that didn't mean she was immune to his wrath. Exilius turned and lifted his Spiker to his eye, before firing a burst, and hitting one of the humans who was huddled in the corner. Kazanna screamed.

"You let me onto this bridge, that was your first mistake. You care for your humans. So unless take me to a neutral sector, I will slaughter everyone on this bridge. Perhaps you will gas me, perhaps that gas will spare the humans, but think of how much blood I can shed before I end."

Kazanna's brow tensed and her jaw tightened. "Where do you want to go Brute?"

"I am Chieftain Exilius, and I assume you are Kazanna. I want passage to the planet you call 'Hoth.' If you take me there, the Kig-Yar and I will depart without any further bloodshed. If you try to play games, then I will start breaking bodies."

"Fine Brute…The planet Hoth, though you do realize that is not Loyalist controlled?" Kazanna flickered away, focusing on starting the engines, and making the jumps to reach the sector, which, she was sad to say, was quite far away. Distance meant time that the Jiralhanae would be on her ship, endangering her men. But what could she really do? There were safety measures. She could fill the bridge with gas to kill the Brute and the Jackal. She had protested when Reynold insisted on installing such things, and she was thankful she had never had to use them. The thought of killing, of snuffing the flame of life in another creature, even a Brute…she wasn't sure about that. And for now, she could wait.

There came a transmission. Kazanna devoted some of her attention to preparing the engines, while a majority of her focus shifted to the Sangheili who has raised her.

"Greetings Ship Master, do you require something?"

Ship Master Rik Crolun was sitting comfortably in his large chair, watching her sharply. "Why did you venture planet side?" he asked.

Kazanna kept calm and patient. "We noticed several soldiers in distress, and sent a small Pelican to investigate. Indeed, we found several of our soldiers, and promptly picked them up. I am pleased to say that, although harmed from an as of yet unknown reason, none of their wounds seem to be life threatening."

"Why are your engines preparing for a jump?" the shipmaster asked without skipping a beat.

"As I said, we picked up several soldiers in distress. You were right, shipmaster. This is no place for a science vessel. If…I may ask, sir. Why have your weapons locked on to us? We are not a military vessel."

Kazanna was aware as Exilius stomped back, and with several large swings of his thick hands, knocked some of the humans aside. He promptly took up the wounded colonel and placed a blade at his throat. If Kazanna had a heart, it would have found its way into her throat at that second. She kept her voice from shaking as she resumed listening to Crolun.

"I will be sending a file to board your ship. Do not attempt to flee," Crolun said.

Kazanna said nothing. She diverted as much power as she could to the shields, and continued prepping the engines. Crolun snarled and ordered the ship destroyed, as the _Rhiannon _prepared for a sudden lurch into slipspace.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

"They'll say I went rampant," Kazanna said. Her hologram was sitting down, with her legs pulled up close to her chest, and her chin resting on her knees. "It's about my time. Seven years. That how long we live. Then we slip into insanity, and we're purged clean from all systems. And they clone someone else's brain and this ship gets a new AI."

Exilius was sitting in the captain's chair, watching her. Every few breaths, he lifted his hand and coughed, and more than once Kazanna noticed the slightly fluorescent color of blood. After the first jump, Kazanna had convinced the Jiralhanae to allow Reynold to leave the bridge. She watched over him in the medical area, devoting 15% of her total consciousness to make sure all the machines he was hooked up to worked properly. He was stable, and seemed to be alright, though the Brute's mistreatment may cost him not only the use of his eye, but the use of his leg. The eye was completely torn in half, while there was nothing left of the kneecap. The Brute's weight down fully on the joint obliterated the bones. If they made it out of this, Kazanna was sure he would get any number of medals and accommodations. And she would be purged…

Exilius coughed again.

"Maybe you should go to the medical area," she noted, which earned a slight growl from the Jiralhanae. "Judging by the damage to your chest piece, I would say you took a severe concussive blow. I'm not an expert on Brute anatomy, but it seems logical your ribs were damaged, and your internal organs suffered as well. It's possible the ribs are pushing into your body now, and every breath, every time you inflate your lungs, you only cause more damage. So your choice is to stop breathing, or head to the medical bay."

"One more word to me and I kill one of your brood," Exilius warned.

"Then I guess I'll talk to you, Kig-Yar. What's your name?"

"Iza," the marksmen said simply.

"I'm Kazanna. Can I ask why you are working with big grumpy? You do know all Kig-Yar were given amnesty after the Ark. I can put a good word in for you if you put a bullet between the Brute's eyes. I can say you were taken hostage just like the rest of us. But that you killed our captor, that'll make you a hero."

Exilius did growl, but Iza passively looked down at his pistol. "Problem is, I was already given amnesty," Iza said. "Now, if the Sangheili catch me, they'll put me down for fleeing duty. They consider running from a battle worse than fighting them. And just because I kill the chieftain, that doesn't matter, cause I ran from a battle. So, now I'm working with the big grumpy. Where are we going anyway, chieftain?"

"To one of _our_ sectors, where I can reunite with Har."

"Uh hu," Iza mused. He walked back, and took one of the empty seats. "So computer lady, how much longer?"

"About an hour. This will be the last jump, and then…what exactly will happen chieftain?"

"My comrades will be waiting there. I will take a dropship and transport to their ship. Then you need never see me again. You can tell your commanding officers that I took the entire ship by force and held everyone at bay singlehandedly. It'll just contribute to my name."

"What if your comrades want to destroy this ship?" Kazanna asked.

"What if you want to destroy my comrades?" Exilius asked in turn. "The only reason I was on that blasted planet was because Wrath feels it's her duty to aid her people. I would rather take her back to Doisac than bother with this endless fighting."

"Something we can agree on," Kazanna smiled. "Never ends, huh? The war. Stupid Elites, they were so sure that we could just roll right over you. _Six months, Lord Hood_. That's what the Halfjaw said. Well, five years later, I'm still trudging this ship along."

"Who knows, maybe the Flood will come back, and we'll have throw down our weapons and call each other brother," Iza muttered. "Then, when the Flood are all dead, again, we can go back to killing each other."

"Yes, you humans are rather stupid to join with the Sangheili." Exilius idly coughed into his hand. "They are going to betray you, call you inferior and resume glassing your planets. You would be better seeking _our_ aid, against _them."_

Kazanna pondered that however briefly. She finally said, "We don't seek anyone's aid to fight. This is not a military ship. This is a science freighter. We studied alien species." She eyed the blood that covered Exilius' hand. "What is wrong with you? For science."

"I was hit by a truck," Exilius grunted.

"I could offer an operation. There are several doctors aboard this ship, and I would jump at the chance to get a detailed exploration of your anatomy."

"I am not stupid, despite what you may think. I will not surrender myself to you, under the _guise_ of aid, so you can gas me while I am at my weakest."

Kazanna paused a moment, wondering if that was what she was doing at all.

XXX

"This is Chieftain Exilius of the Jiralhanae. I am aboard the _Rhiannon_ human vessel. Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage."

Kazanna swallowed. "We've just entered an Alliance sector, you dumb Brute! Do you see how many Alliance ships there are!"

But Exilius was calm as the screen flickered and blinked, signifying that three ships in total were orbiting the planet. "Chieftian Exilius, this is Captain Helius of the _Infinity Blade."_

Exilius chuckled. "Alliance ships, not Alliance crews. Iza, you are coming with me?"

Iza shrugged thin shoulders. "Don't got any better prospects big guy."

Kazanna saw to it that all the doors from the bridge to the hangar were open. She also made sure that all other doors were closed. She did not want the Brute going back on his word and slaughtering the crew just for the fun of it, nor did she want the crew fool hardily charging the chieftain in one final attempt at vengeance. She wanted this over, this whole bloody affair. She wanted the Brute off her ship, and her men safe. And that hope seemed almost complete, when the Brute stopped walking. Iza continued onto one of the dropships and got it up and running, but Exilius looked down to one of the pedestals that Kazanna could project through. The pedestals were everywhere, even the hangar. "Thank you," he said softly, and then he resumed his walk.

XXX

The Prophetess of Wrath was there to greet Exilius, as the dropship pulled into The_ Through Darkest Times_, the ship that Exilius had commanded, and lent to Wrath so she might make her escape from Ash. By greet, he had just stepped off the dropship when a blurry vision of San 'Shyuum had tackled him around the chest. Wrath weighed a quarter as much as Exilius did, and even at that she was rather physically weak for someone her size. Never the less, the force of her against the chieftain's chest knocked him onto his back, and sent a surge of pain through him. Not that she immediately noticed. It was only when he coughed a wad of blood that she suspected something might be wrong.

"E-Exi? What's wrong?"

"I just need to get to the medical brig," he said. To the scrape of claws on the ground, Exilius said, "This is Iza."

Wrath looked from the downed chieftain to the curious Kig-Yar. Vaguely she might have remembered someone like him, but wasn't sure. All Kig-Yar tended to look alike, though this one had interesting little tattoos over his arms. Exilius hoisted himself to his feet, holding his chest slightly. He shuffled towards the medical bay.

The _Through Darkest Times_ was a vessel of human make that had been pirated and now carried Doisac's flag. It's crew was an interesting mix of Jiralhanae, Unggoy, Yanme'e, Kig-Yar, one lone Huragok, and a pair of Mgalekgolo. The last two had served as Wrath's bodyguards aboard the ship during Exilius' absence. With a bow of his head and several kind words, he relieved them of their duty. If he had any knowledge of Mgalekgolo expression, they were relieved, and shuffled off to do whatever it was that Mgalekgolo did when not ripping things apart or smashing them under heel. Maybe they were going to read poetry. Who knew?

Unlike Sangheili, Jiralhanae did not have some misguided stigma against requiring medical aid. They cared about killing and fighting, and if they could heal to kill and fight again, so be it. The problem was that few Jiralhanae possessed the intelligence and steady hand to make proper medics and doctors, so the position was mediated to Unggoy. No Unggoy seemed to mind. They were relieved from any fighting and got extra rations. And, if given the chance, they could learn matters quickly, so they could usually be ready to treat a wounded Jiralhanae after only a bit of study.

When he reached the medical bay, there was only one Unggoy inside. He was sitting in one of the chairs, feet up against the table, and his head bobbing, signifying he was asleep. A low growl from Exilius brought him to quick attention.

"I need my armor off," he said. "And my chest examined."

The Unggoy nodded quickly, and ran to Exilius heels. Immediately he was prying the pieces away from the legs and hips. Exilius was careful in removing his own chest piece, and shoulder pieces. He cut his way out of the skin suit with the knife from his belt, and then lay down on the bed. The Unggoy pushed a small staircase towards the Jiralhanae, before climbing up and taking up the extra space. Exilius tilted his head back, allowing the Unggoy to work, and do as he saw fit.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

"How do you feel?" Wrath asked. A week had passed since the chieftain had come back, and only know had he finally come out of the infirmary. Under his new armor, he was bandaged over his chest tight, and there was a slight cringe when he moved, though Wrath could see he tried to hide it. He braced himself on the wall and coughed into his hand, before wiping his blood covered hand on his legging. Wrath sighed. There was no way he could hide that.

"I'm fine," Exilius said simply. "Any word from Doisac? Is it intact?"

Wrath nodded softly. "They contacted two days ago. An urgent message."

"I said I wanted to be notified as soon as we got word from the war chief." Wrath sighed and shrugged. She slipped a hand into her robe's arm and took out a small disk before handing it to the chieftain. They were silent as they walked to the ship's bridge, Wrath kept looking to him but the chieftain refused to meet her gaze.

Exilius took the shipmaster's seat and loaded the disk in. Wrath would be privy to the recorded message of Cerberus, present Chieftain of the Jiralhanae. So were several Jiralhanae who were on the bridge, performing whatever tasks were needed of them. The message left each Jiralhanae and the lone San 'Shyuum shocked into silence.

With time, Wrath was first to speak. "What…was that?"

Exilius shook his head, and played the message again. The image was of the war chief, standing tall and alone in a darkened room. He was dressed in full armor, war hammer proudly on his back. His helmet was off.

"Chieftain Exilius," he spoke. "We Jiralhanae have seen the worse of fate upon us, and yet we have survived. You know of the cruelty of fate as well as any of us. And yet, now, I call upon you sacrifice and risk all for a hopeless endeavor. I do not expect you to understand this, chieftain. I do not expect your pack to understand it, or your San 'Shyuum. I don't expect the people of Doisac to understand even. But I have done a great many sins. For the past two years, I have been talking with the Sangheili Arbiter and the human Lord.

"This war has taken the lives of many good Jiralhanae, and it will only take more. When we were in the Covenant, we were united. We were strong. We touched the stars and built great colonies. And now, now what do we have? The colonies we had built are being destroyed, and for each that is destroyed, we destroy one of theirs. And it goes on and on, endless. Perhaps, after years, we will win this war. And remove the Sangheili taint from this universe, and the humans will be farmed for meat, and every planet in the systems will carry our flag. But what if that never happens?

"We have the strength to conquer worlds with our will alone. We have the strength to vanquish our foes with our fists and fangs and build a life from nothing. And yet each day countless men die in this endless war. We've all lost, brother. You have lost, I am sure, even if you care not to admit it.

"What we have now, is a chance to end the war. Perhaps my son has poisoned my view of things. But I lost my family far too young. You did too. And now we can make a choice, to leave another generation without fathers to guide them, or survive to see sunsets to come.

What I ask of you today, what I ask you to do, is far more than any have been asked before…"

XXX

They asked Kazanna to download herself onto a portable disk, which she did. And for a time, it was dark. She didn't like being in a confined space. It was like being in a prison really, solitary. Even worse than solitary, since there was no little opening where you could get food from. It was just a confined sphere. No walls even, nothing to lean against. Just nothing.

She was overjoyed when she was let out, and quickly spread as far as she could, through every inch of her electronic world. It was exactly 5.2 seconds before she noticed the pedestal she could project herself through, as well as a camera that would let her look to see where she was. She had control of both after an additional .4 seconds.

"Lord Hood?" she asked, when she could see where she was. She brought her hand up in a salute, which was soon returned. "Sir, it's an honor." Lord Hood returned the salute. "Forgive me, but I would like to know. How long was I…incapacitated?"

"A little more than a week," the lord said simply.

Kazanna cringed at that, but kept calm otherwise. "May I ask why I am here. I am overjoyed that I haven't been wiped yet, but I must tempt fate and ask, why haven't I been wiped yet?"

"The Sangheili are quite angry that you aided the loyalists in fleeing. The moment that your ship reentered the allied sectors, they wanted you destroyed."

Kazanna swallowed. "I can imagine, and I am overjoyed that you have at least allowed the crew to escape such a fate. I will take full responsibility for the actions. And any of the crew will tell you that the colonel was incapacitated. I was in command of the ship, and I acted on my own will and terms."

"Yes, your own will and terms. That's why I wanted to speak to you personally." The lord leaned forward, and folded his fingers together. "What I am about to tell you requires the highest level of clearance. It is known by only a few; myself, the Arbiter, and Chieftain Cerberus."

Kazanna looked up to him suddenly.

"Yes, that chieftain, ma'am. Funny how life works, isn't it? The Arbiter was actually more willing than I was. He has spent more time with the Jiralhanae, he seems to be more forgiving of them then I am. He convinced me that war is not the answer. He seems to believe that the Brutes can be persuaded to lay down their arms, if we do the same. But, there is a big difference between talking about a treaty over radio messages, and looking a Brute straight in the eye and saying you're willing to listen."

Lord Hood chuckled. "They are more frightened of us than we are of them. Can you believe that? Without their precious "Great Journey," dying doesn't seem quite so appealing. Now the fear of losing their planet, of losing a ship, of losing their brothers, is much more real. So they are at least willing to discuss a treaty. And now, they are perhaps willing to sign it."

"Why are you telling this to a rampant AI?" Kazanna asked. It was impossible to place the emotion in her voice. Bitterness, fear, or the empty swan song of one faced with death.

"Your behavior shows an immense amount of rational and more than that, a measure of kindness that I have seen but rarely. Hopefully those you permitted to flee will speak of your acts, and be all the more willing to listen to our demands. I will ask you to accompany the ambassadors to the Harvest."

"Harvest…sir…?"

XXX

"Any signs of hostiles?" Exilius asked after the _Through Darkest Times _entered the system.

The Jiralhanae who was on the radar looked to the chieftain and shook his head. "Though there is a great amount of interference. Blasted humans, luring us to a dead planet. We should have had these talks on Doisac."

Exilius turned back to the planet. Technically, the human planet of Harvest was not quite dead. There were chunks of it left intact, areas where the Covenant, fearful of damaging the sacred structures, had spared them the hot embrace of plasma bombardment. But the reason for this? One of the most remote of the planets the humans knew of. Perhaps they hoped to protect Earth. Perhaps they hoped to lure the loyalists into a trap.

"Set us down in the lower atmosphere," Exilius said. "If the humans and Sangheili haven't come to the planet yet, then we can be the ones to lay the traps. Take us to the northern pole, it's one of the only areas not destroyed. If the Alliance wants to meet, it will be there."

"What if it's the south pole?" Iza snorted from his place beside the captain's chair.

Exilius looked to him and gave a soft growl, then looked back down to the planet. "Thank you, Kig-Yar. You'll accompany me down to the planet for the first recon." Iza gave a little snort, but a prompt glare from the Jiralhanae silenced him. "Stop by the armory, you can take what you need to serve as marksman." Exilius turned and stomped out of the bridge. Iza scratched his ear, and asked himself just why he had decided to throw in with the Brute. Oh, right, cause the Sangheili would kill him on sight. He snickered to himself, heading out to the armory.

XXX

"No," Exilius said, very matter-a-fact-ly.

Wrath glared up at him, standing straight to seem like she was sure of herself, but there was still a solid three feet separating the two from eye level. "I'm not a child, _chieftain_. You can't force me to stay here."

"Herius," Exilius said to a passing Jiralhanae. "I want to stay on this ship and make sure that the prophetess does not leave the safety of this ship. The Sangheili cannot be trusted. If this is a trap, the prophetess must be kept safe, at all costs."

"Yes chieftain," the young captain said, placing a large hand on Wrath's shoulder.

"I fucking hate you," Wrath said bitterly at Exilius. "Please, I don't want to stay on this ship the entire time. I was fine on Ash. You said that I need to stay strong. Well, I'm staying strong. I'm going to stay strong and be strong."

Exilius sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Fine, Har. If you do want to come…but you have to do as you are told. You're the same as any soldier, and that means you follow orders."

"I understand Exi. Let's go."

Exilius then continued on his way towards the hangar where he would secure one of the dropships for him to travel down to the planet, Wrath right by his side and walking proudly. In the hangar, they rendezvoused with his personal guard: three Jiralhanae captains, along with several Unggoy and Kig-Yar. He divided the Unggoy and the Kig-Yar between the three captains, and ordered each squad to take a different dropship down. The dropships were an assortment of Covenant and UNSC designs, stolen and pirated through the years. They were each in different states of damage and perpetual repair. The only common trait amongst them was the coat of red paint they each brandished. It was something to unify the Jiralhanae, not just Exilius' pack. Red was the color that the Loyalists had adopted since the loss of the Prophet of Truth. It was brandished on their flags and carried on their ship, a proud color that contrasted the Sangheili purple or UNSC grey-green.

"Adeadatus, I want you on the radar," he said, radioing the main ship. "If anything comes about, I want to know about it."

"Yes chieftain. Ancestors watch over you."

"And you, brother."

Upon entering the lower atmosphere, and the four dropships balancing out, Exilius took the co-pilot's seat. "Up ahead we are coming upon the Forerunner structure. We will take shelter there and set up a base of operations. Team two heads into the wilderness and checks for any Alliance bases. Team three and four, you are with me. We have to secure the base. The god's bases are just as dangerous as the Alliance's."

In his seat, Iza leaned back, closing his eyes and yawning. He was jostled awake when the dropship came to a stop and landed on the ground. Exilius was first out the ship, with the prophetess, so interested in this new world, she practically bounced along the ground. Followed by the foolish Unggoy and the airy Kig-Yar. Last out of the ship was Iza, who was even airier than the other Kig-Yar. While the other Kig-Yar quickly found a nice perch, he just stayed behind, and instead wandered into the great complex.

For the great scale of Forerunner buildings usually seen, this one seemed rather small. Just by chance, he had decided to follow the chieftain, who was heading into said complex with a few Unggoy and the San 'Shyuum. It was cold here. There was snow on the ground that froze Iza's feet. And the cold wind froze his thin arms. He growled, looking up at the Jiralhanae chieftain who seemed not to mind at all.

The door was a rather gigantic garage type configuration. Oddly, no human presence was needed. It seemed to just be on a motion sensor, and when the great bulk of chieftain stepped into its view, it started groaning and stretching and gradually opening up. Inside the base, it was at least warm. There was no wind and no snow on the floor, but the air was stale and rather foul to smell. Iza twitched his snout, growling softly under his breath. Maybe he should have just stayed on the dropship. Not like the chieftain would even notice.

There were countless pillars rising up to the high ceiling, and again when the group stepped inside, something was triggered. All the pillars came to glow, small bits of light at first but they kept glowing brighter until Iza had to shield his eyes and let them adjust. What he saw next could perhaps best be compared to an area of High Charity. It was simply huge, and Iza realized that they were standing on a pedestal. The building outside may not have been large, but the base seemed to drop down deep into the ground. Iza smiled and looked up to Wrath. "I hope you find this interesting, ma'am."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Could AIs get the jitters? Kazanna wasn't sure, but she had them. If she could eat, she wouldn't have had an appetite. To be specific, she didn't have a stomach, yet her stomach felt like it was tied up in a thousand knots. There were still aspects of AIs that people didn't understand. Even Kazanna, who had been recording a journal since she first came on line and interviewed any number of her fellow AIs, had a lot of gaps in her knowledge.

The point was, she was feeling weak willed. She was nervous about this all. Not for the first time, she suspected this might all be some kind of trap. It wasn't a huge stretch of thought that ONI had packed this ship with undesirables and was shipping them off to a trap. Avoid all the paperwork or any outcry or a legal execution. And if this ever went public, the hippies wouldn't have a word to say: humanity tried to make peace with the aliens and the aliens laid a trap. No one would oppose destroying Doisac after that.

"How much longer?" she asked the serving shipmaster. His name was Lieutenant-General Rutherford Roberts. He was…not a man Kazanna liked. And he was not a man who liked Kazanna, so she supposed they were rather even on that front.

"Another day," the shipmaster said stoically. Where Reynold was someone who would chat with Kazanna as an equal, this was a man who saw her as a tool. She wondered if this was some sort of punishment from Lord Hood.

"Have we any idea how many bad guys are going to be there?" Kazanna asked.

"Most likely the entire Loyalist fleet," the shipmaster said bitterly. "Make sure the engines are stable. We'll take a rest in a few more hours, then make the last jump to Harvest. Once we arrive, start prepping the engines for another jump."

Kazanna nodded humbly. "Yes sir." And she blinked away to tend to the engines.

XXX

The area had been secured rather quickly. In the worse case scenario, the Jiralhanae would fall back into Forerunner base. Several Kig-Yar were already working on ways to get the system working beyond simple lights and elevators, but so far they hadn't managed much. With any luck, they would manage to capture a human, and use him to activate the base properly.

But that was only the worse case scenario. There were many precautions before that. Exilius had sent several Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae out as reconnaissance and sniper units. They would make first contact with any approaching enemies. Exilius had ordered every dropship and fighter out of the _Through Darkest Times._ If the humans attempted a blitzkrieg and damaged the main ship, they would still have the means to fight back with the swarm of fighters. The ships were also serving as large barriers against a ground attack. The mounted turrets were faced outwards, ready to lay down a wall of plasma and bullets, as there were both Covenant and human dropships in the miniature fleet.

"I can do more," Wrath said, as she looked out at the workers, standing beside Exilius. "I'm not a child, chieftain. I can at least aid in the preparations." To combat the cold and weather, she was wearing a human designed coat over her robes and a human hat. She looked rather interesting, like that. Given her size, she had to wear a male human's clothing, but they had whole rooms aboard the ship of pillaged goods, so there wasn't a lack of anything for her.

"I want you safe Wrath, inside."

"And I am telling you, you need every hand you can get. This isn't about you being my bodyguard, do you understand that? Any moment now, we might be facing down every Sangheili ship in the galaxy. And every one of them wants to lock blades with us. You need every hand you can get."

Exilius growled down at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked Wrath.

"Of course Exilius. With my life."

"Then I need you go to outside the perimeter, and start building snow men. Make a pathway, one hundred feet long. There should be a snow man every ten feet. The two sides should be ten feet apart, and the snowmen go in a checker pattern. Then go into the area outside the perimeter. Start building snowmen randomly, but at least a distance of ten feet from any other."

"Snowmen?" Wrath asked. "You can't be serious."

"Wrath, trust me. Take any of the Unggoy and Kig-Yar that you need. This needs to be done tonight though."

Wrath bit her lip slightly, but nodded. She tightened the gloves she had fashioned for her unique hand, and headed off to work.

"Snowmen chieftain? Is that what you have been reduced to?" Exilius turned to see the Kig-Yar he had recruited on Ash standing beside him. He recognized the Kig-Yar due to the tattoos that he had on his arms. The chieftain himself had one on his bicep, however it was covered by his fur most often. Exilius growled, and started walking.

"You could join Wrath."

Iza looked down at his claws. "I want to know what the hell you have us doing. Snowmen? When I threw in with you, I assumed you were halfway intelligent for a Brute. Was I wrong?"

Exilius reached down and roughly took the Kig-Yar around the throat, lifting him up to eye level. Iza grabbed at massive hand and clawed for release, once even squawking pitifully in the chieftain's face, as if that would get him released. "Listen carefully, Kig-Yar. I took you aboard because, as Wrath says, I need hands. But if you cause more problems than good, I will rip your head off."

"I won't," Iza squeaked. Exilius placed him back down. "I won't chieftain, I swear. I will do as you require."

"If this is a trap, the Sangheili will seek to lock blades. The only way we can survive for even a few days is with a trap of our own."

XXX

Captain Detritus, one Kig-Yar, and four Unggoy had taken the southern patrol, and gone as deep into the barren wasteland as they could. They had deduced the point of no return, the distance they could go before the Warthog would be halfway out of its propulsion, and that was the point they were going to go and then turn back. This was just basic reconnaissance. They were not looking for anything in particular, or anything at all. They were just looking.

If the humans and the Sangheili were following the terms of this meeting, they would not be hiding. If they had set up a base, one of the recon teams would find it. And the Jiralhanae would not be hassled.

Detritus snorted in disgust. Truth be told, he trusted the chieftain. The chieftain had taken him in, after his former chieftain was executed at the blades of the Sangheili. And for that, Detritus followed Exilius' orders. But he did not like the orders.

"Left side!" the Kig-Yar squawked suddenly. "Left side!" Even before the vehicle ground to a stop, the Kig-Yar was scrambling out of the vehicle, which saved his life, as a bullet whizzed out of air and over his head. Detritus twisted the vehicle in a circle, positioning the now empty passenger seat at the direction of the sniper. That would buy him those precious moment as he scrambled out of his own seat. He was shot in the back, just beneath his left shoulder blade, but it was not a fatal wound, and his armor held together. He pulled the Spiker from his belt, groaning behind the cover of the vehicle, lowering as low as he could.

"Where is the sniper?" he asked the Kig-Yar, who was curled up behind the vehicle as well. There were no vantage points, no mountains or hills, so the shooter was ground level. Of course, Detrius had no back up, nor escape. So he wasn't ahead of the game at all.

"There was the flash on the left side. Ground level. By the rings, he's shooting ground level! I can't even shoot ground level like that!"

"Can you shoot him?"

The Kig-Yar whimpered. "I've only got a carbine!" the Kig-Yar shrieked. "And he's fucking far. And ground level! By the rings, it's a Demon. I know it. It's the Demon come back to claim me. He passed over me once. By the rings. It must be him."

"Kig-Yar!" Detritus roared. "Focus, or I will kill you myself."

The Unggoy were clinging together. Well, three of them were. Detritus could only imagine what happened to the fourth.

There were no more shots. Detritus groaned, clenching his Spiker tighter. "Chieftain," he said into his radio. "Chieftain, do you hear me?"

There was just static. They were too far away, too much bad weather, or the humans were jamming the signal. One of the Unggoy peeked out from behind the cover, then ran up to the captain. "They're coming! The Demon. It's coming!"

"Silence!" Detritus roared. He looked over the side of the vehicle, and indeed saw a Demon coming towards him. "Ancestors watch over me," Detritus muttered. He came out from the side of the vehicle, lifting his Spiker to fire. The Demon rolled to his side. And, to Detritus' horror, from the very ground came the Demon's minions. Smaller Demons, dressed all in white, emerged from the snow. They stood for a moment, before lifting their assault rifles to their eye and opening fire on the Jiralhanae. Detritus felt the impacts of the bullets on his armor. But worse was the Demon, who leapt into the air. He lifted his arm over his head, and then swung it down. The elbow of his armor caught the crown of Detritus' helmet. A painful crack went through his skull. The Demon landed before him, swiftly taking a pistol from his thigh, and jamming it under the Jiralhanae's chin. Without a word, he squeezed the trigger.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

She stuck out like a sore thumb. It was rather annoying. Rank and file marines just had a way of picking out the ONI agents, and this was no exception. She could have worn marine fatigues, a marine helmet, carried marine weapons, and she still would have been ousted moments after stepping into the mess hall. So she didn't see the point in hiding who she was. She was wearing professional clothing instead of neutral military grunt fatigues, white instead of the usual grays and greens. At the moment, she was manicuring her pretty nails.

Suddenly, a little hologram popped out of the mess hall's table, startling her enough that she cracked the nail on her left middle finger. She was upset about that, but kept a neutral face. "You are the ONI liaison, right?" Kazanna, the ship's AI asked.

"Major Teresa Lang," said the woman, thinking about what she could do with her nail now. "Yes, I'm the ONI liaison, from Sector 1. You can call me Teresa, or Major Lang, or Vesper if you want to be all cloak and dagger. It's my handle."

"Teresa," Kazanna continued. "I need a favor…"

XXX

The humans were coming, and the entire camp was in an uproar. Wrath and two dozen or so Unggoy were fixing up their snowmen with what time they still had. The Unggoy greatly enjoyed this work, and the fact that Exilius had given them heavier clothing for the harsh environment meant they considered this more a game than actual work. Truth be told, Wrath seemed to enjoy making faces in the snowmen, or forming them into familiar creatures. Exilius assumed one or two of the larger bodies were meant to be him, but there were Sangheili from Wrath's past, human prisoners she had known, even her father.

"Has everyone returned?" Exilius asked one of the Jiralhanae who came beside him. "We need full force."

The Jiralhanae gave a nervous groan, before saying, "No chieftain."

"Who hasn't?"

"The south team, west team, and east team, chieftain."

Exilius sighed. "By the rings. Can we raise any of them?"

"No chieftain. Could be interference from the planet and weather. Only our short wave radios are working. But it does seem rather suspicious. Would you like to organize another team to look for the lost?"

Exilius growled loudly. The human ship seemed to be staying in a higher orbit than the _Through Darkest Times_. Exilius looked up to sky. Why weren't they coming down? Some sort of show of dominance perhaps? The ship, being so high and so mighty. Exilius wouldn't put it past them.

He watched the human dropships float down to the ground. What he assumed was a high ranking human came out of the lead dropship. He deduced this one was high ranking because he was flanked by the entire crew of guardsmen. Regular soldiers; marines. Ten in total. Exilius could just about rip through them himself, but let them think there was safety in numbers.

Jiralhanae had their own shows of dominance. He tilted his head back and gave a loud, long roar into the air. It served the practical purpose of calling Wrath and her Unggoy back into the safety of the base, but more importantly it gave the humans pause in their stride up to him.

"Hail humans. I am Chieftain Exilius, commander of the forces you see around you."

"Hail chieftain, I am Lieutenant-General Rutherford Roberts. These are my-"

"When did you come to the planet?" Exilius interrupted.

"Excuse me, chieftain?"

"Three of my squads have not yet returned. I gave specific orders to return three hours ago. I have not even been able to raise them on the radio. And your arrival at this time seems rather suspicious. When did you arrive?"

Teresa was towards the rear of the guard, and cast a quick gaze to the soldier beside her, but he was looking straight forward. Teresa sighed within her helmet, and resumed watching the Brute.

"We arrived at this location an hour ago. After spending the appropriate amount of time securing the sector, and making sure that this was not a trap, we came into the lower orbit, and now stand before you."

Exilius snorted. "Go back to your ship. I have more pressing matters to tend to than dealing with you. Three of my lieutenants have gone missing."

"I can assure you, chieftain, that we had nothing to do with their disappearance." The general sighed. "Though, considering our purpose being here…I offer my aid and the aid of my men in finding them."

Exilius' eye lifted, and he looked to the human.

"With respect, Jiralhanae, you seem rather understaffed. Day light will not last indefinitely. Do you suspect some sort of attack?"

"Yes, I do. And so I do not want you in my ranks, endangering my men."

"Chieftain, we have come to show that humanity is dedicated to peace, not just to you, but to the Sangheili. We've yet to establish anything permanent with them. The only reason that the squids and us aren't shooting at each other is because we are both fighting you. But something has to give." Exilius turned to the human, confused what he was speaking of. "Humanity needs peace. Consider this the first step in the peace talks. We will aid you in securing a perimeter, guarding it, and if need be, fighting."

"Herculus," Exilius said to a Jiralhanae who came behind him. Herculus was, without a doubt, the largest Jiralhanae in the present war, standing at twelve feet in total height, and weighing as much as two of his smaller brethren. Exilius had seen to it that his size be put to good use. He had the thickest, heaviest armor, and shields as powerful as a chieftain's, not to mention a turret to carry around as his primary weapon. "Have the humans guard the southern flank and south-eastern flank. Pull the Jiralhanae from that area and reinforce the eastern perimeter until we can set the appropriate traps on that front."

"Yes chieftain." Heculus waved a hand, and ordered the humans in the present company to follow him. The general went off, getting back into the Pelican to be taken back to the mother ship. Exilius looked up to the sky, the sun slowly moving from one side to another. Night would mean an attack, he could feel it.

"Stargazing chieftain?"

Exilius looked down to see Iza beside him. Exilius growled at himself. He _had_ been stargazing, and that had allowed him to be taken by surprise. Granted, he was surrounded by his brethren and inside the perimeter of his base, but that he had been taken by surprise at all gave him a sting of frustration.

"What do you want Iza?"

Iza was actually taken by surprise that the chieftain should use his name; not Kig-Yar, not marksmen, not grunt. But he didn't show it. "You think you should place your fear in the humans?"

Exilius gave a soft snort.

"Why would they send their men down here, if this were a trap? Their ship had the dominant position. They could have attacked your ship, and used fighters to mop up the ground forces. If you want someone to fear, ask yourself, where are the Sangheili?"

Exilius nodded passively.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Wait out the night," Exilius said. "I want you to join the sniper teams, Iza. You'll be the first to see contacts, and the first to take shots. You and the other snipers will be in radio contact with myself. I will be at the front lines, so you will have to warn me of any danger."

"You trust me that much, chieftain?"

"You could have killed me on Ash. You could have left by now. Why do you stay?"

"Got nothing better to do chieftain," Iza snorted.

"Get to the sniper team, Iza. Dig in, and be ready."

XXX

For the entire night, there was no attack. No gunshots, no grenades, no explosions. The sun rose onto the tired and stressed Jiralhanae. Exilius groaned as the first rays of sun hit his face and fur. He rubbed his eyes, and when that did nothing, shuffled towards the middle of the secured area. The humans had taken part in the guard duty, but their numbers were plentiful, and they had managed to take shifts instead of spending a sleepless night fruitlessly staring at the blank canvas of the ground.

Humans were such odd creatures. They had set up tents towards the center of the enclosure. It seemed to be some sort of makeshift mess hall. Over the night they had developed a large presence here. Exilius guessed that they had left only a skeleton crew on the ship and the majority of their warriors were on the planet. Technically they outnumbered the Jiralhanae, yes, but one human was not equal to one Jiralhanae..

The humans around the tent parted as he came stomping over. He snorted and growled at a few, but they just backed away without meeting his gaze.

"Chieftain," said one of the humans, and Exilius turned to face her. "I'm Major Teresa Lang."

Exilius looked back to the food within the tent. He was hungry. The human servers were setting out several hot trays and bottles of water. The humans were making a camp, the Jiralhanae had secured a perimeter, and the Sangheili hadn't even arrived yet.

Teresa Lang touched the side of her helmet, then took up one of the hot mugs and said, "Drink this, chieftain. It will perk you up."

Exilius growled at her, and turned. With daylight, it was time to look for his lost brothers. The major stayed at his heels, which he found more than a bit annoying. He was tempted to turn and brain the little whelp, but kept himself in check. If this treaty were to go to hell, it would not be at the feet of a Jirlahanae. So he tolerated her as she followed him like a lost Unggoy.

"Captain Heculus," Exilius said, thumping his chest in a traditional Jiralhanae salute. "I am taking one of the vehicles and heading west to look for our men. You are in charge while I am gone. Make sure the humans do not try anything. If the Sangheili decide to show their faces, contact me immediately."

The captain nodded solemnly. "Yes chieftain. Ancestors watch over you."

"And you my brother. Contact the Kig-Yar, Iza. Tell him I want him to accompany me. I will be departing shortly."

Exilius looked back at the human again, growling. "If you want to come so bad, wait at one of the Warthogs, I will join you shortly."

The human nodded oddly, before trudging over to the area where the Jiralhanae had left several of their vehicles.

Before Exilius left, he needed to have some words with Wrath, and he found her just outside the Forerunner's building. "Har," he said, coming up to her.

"No attack," she said softly. "Is that a good sign, or a bad one?"

"You haven't been sleeping," he said, noting the tired bags under her eyes.

"Neither have you."

"I'm heading out," he said. He took a small detonator off his belt, and handed it to her. "Use this in an emergency. It's more bang than you might think."

"I know how much bang it will be just fine." She looked up to him, and gave a soft smile. "Kneel down chieftain, that's an order."

Exilius grinned, and did as he was asked. The Prophetess of Wrath walked over softly, and put her thin arms around his neck. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek, earning a little chuckle from him. "Come back alive, chieftain. That's an order too."


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the delay. But here's an extra long chapter.**

_Chapter 10_

Three warriors in total: Exilius, who was driving; Iza, who was sitting in the back near the turret; and the human major who wanted to come, sitting in the passenger seat. All she was armed with was a pistol. That struck Exilius as odd. He had actually considered arming her with something, so if it came to a shootout, she wouldn't be dead weight. But since he wasn't sure where she would be shooting, he thought better of it. He would rather her not armed at all then her armed with a shotgun. He hated shotguns. He feared them, having seen the devastation they were capable of.

And they feared sniper rifles, which was why Exilius had elected to bring the Kig-Yar as opposed to anyone else. If a sniper decided to come along, hopefully Iza could kill him in turn.

They drove in silence. That's what Exilius wanted. One ear listened to the grumble and trudge of the engine of the vehicle, and the other to the dead air of his radio. Iza was sleeping in the back by the sound of his soft snoring and heavy breathing. And Teresa seemed to be on a radio of her own. Every so often she would casually place her fingers on her helmet and shift it into her ear, so she could better hear the orders and so Exilius couldn't. Exilius heard little more than mumbling.

"South west, three hundred feet," Teresa suddenly spoke up.

Exilius turned to her, growling loudly.

"There is a human base there, one of ONI's secret places. The Jiralhanae may have grown curious about it and spent too much time in there. When night fell, they elected to stay the time instead of risking travel. Whatever the reason, it is worth investigating."

Exilius ground the vehicle to a halt. The jostling of the vehicle roused Iza from his sleep. He groggily sat up, yawning once and then looking to the front of the two. "Put a gun on her," Exilius ordered and Iza, quick to comply, drew one of his pistols and pressed it to the back of her helmet. Exilius noted the slight heave of the human's breast as she took a sharp breath, and heard a small slur under her breath.

"I realize that you are suspicious," Teresa said, trying to sound level. More than hearing her voice shift and shake, Exilius could smell her. Amazing bladder control, this human had, but she was still sweating far more than she had been at first. "You're not the only one suspicious though."

"Hey, Miss Spooky," Iza said. "You really don't want to play games with the chieftain. He's not exactly a social Brute."

Teresa sighed. "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. Don't investigate the base if you don't want. I was just pointing it out."

"Talk faster, human. Chieftain is getting pissed," Iza said.

Teresa sighed. "The Sangheili are being awfully secretive. And it might be best if we have another base of operations set up. Something to fall back on." She pointed. "South west, three hundred feet."

Exilius thought to himself, then started the engine again. He turned the wheel and headed in the offered direction. Iza kept the gun trained on the human's skull, something that made Exilius smile for some strange reason. Teresa explained that the base was one of ONI's covert strongholds. In the event of an invasion, key personal would be evaced here to await passage out of the danger area. Exilius could only guess how many had called this place home during the glassing.

When Exilius pulled the vehicle to a stop, Teresa casually climbed out. The soft snow caused her to sink down to her boots, and she had some difficult trudging along. Iza had the same problem, but Exilius' strength let him mostly push through without a problem.

Teresa bent over, and her hands traced through the thick snow. She finally pulled a large chain out, and handed it to Exilius. "Pull," she said. Exilius grumbled softly, but wrapping the chain around his forearm, he gave a hard yank. A cellar door began to open in the snow, and with another hard yank and taking the chains with his other hand, he gave another hard pull. With a third pull, the hidden door was open. "I'll take point," Exilius said. "Iza, keep a gun on the human."

Exilius looked down into the passage. There would not be much room for him to fit, but if he squeezed out he should be able to manage. He assumed this was an emergency entrance more than anything. But what caught Exilius' attention was that he did not look down into a dark abyss, but rather a well lit hallway. If this were an emergency base, why were the lights activated? As he started the slow climb down into the base, he cast a quick glare at Teresa. Iza was keeping the weapon trained on her. "If anything happens, everyone dies, starting with you," he warned, before resuming the descent.

Humans had very big hallways. Exilius didn't know why that stuck out to him, but he was happy he could stand full and tall in the base, and if he did have to fight, he would probably have the room for his hammer.

Teresa's boot's stomped behind him as she landed off the ladder. Iza climbed down last, and quickly drew his pistol to keep it on Teresa. "According to the blueprints," Teresa said. "The armory is in the south wing, the mess is on the way. If you'd like to see what you can pillage, we can start there. The radio room is in the east area, if you would like to update your brothers."

"You memorized the blueprints?" Exilius asked.

Teresa paused, thinking, then said, "It's just how ONI make their bases. I'm just taking a wild guess."

Exilius quickly took Teresa by the throat and lifted her off the ground by the throat. He pushed her, struggling and scraping, against the hand. "You're lying."

"Contacts!" Iza shouted. Exilius looked to the side, down the hallway, and noticed several figures in white turning the corner. The initial soldiers dropped to their knees. The humans who then turned the corner stood straight. A standard formation for humans with numbers, and down a hallway without cover. Exilius dropped the humans and instead grabbed Iza in his arms. Exilius turned, showing his back to the humans and holding the Kig-Yar at his front as the bullets began peppering his shields and thick armor. He growled and groaned at the onslaught. Looking to his side, he noticed a doorway, and clenching his left fist, he swung his armored arm against it. Human doors are designed to slide gently into the wall to reduce space. Exilius' swing caused the door to pound into the room. But all that really mattered was there was an escape. He ducked and slipped through the narrow threshold, before setting Iza down. Iza was clinging to him however, and a little roughly Exilius pulled him off and threw him aside. A storage room, Exilius guessed. But one that was not in use, as it was mostly empty.

Exilius drew his Spiker and leaned out the doorway, spraying fire into the humans. He ducked back into the doorway as the humans reloaded and returned fire. He looked back into the room to see that Iza had tackled Teresa, and was pressing his weapon into her face, shouting and screaming about a trap.

Exilius took Iza around the middle and lifted him up again. Teresa was given only the briefest moments of relief, before Exilius' foot came down to rest on her chest, threatening to crush her. "Iza, suppressive fire. Human, you either tell me what happened or you become a stain on my foot."

"I don't know," Teresa sad shouted. "Kazanna, what the fuck are you doing? You said this base was fucking empty! Why don't you get out here and talk to the fucking Kong? He's going to fucking kill me!"

"Chieftain, the humans have shields," Iza said. "I mean…actual shields!"

"Chieftain," Teresa said. "Kazanna is in my helmet. She didn't want to be locked up on the ship. That's how I knew about this base. But I swear to you, this base is supposed to be inactive. I, nor Kazanna, know who the fuck those humans are."

"Chieftain!" Iza screamed, retreating into the room as the humans in white suddenly filled the threshold. They carried odd shields. These shields were rectangular in design, with semi-cylindrical bodies, and were almost as tall as the humans who carried them. They must have been made out of some sort of metal or armored material, because even as Iza backed away, he kept firing at them, and the bullets only dug into shield instead of reaching through to the squishy humans on the other side.

With a loud roar, Exilius threw his Spiker aside. Though his hammer was carried on his back, he did not draw it. He only roared and charged. Iza had the sense to roll to his side to avoid the trampling feet. The humans, perhaps slowed down due to their shields or perhaps the size of the shield gave them a false sense of confidence, did not move, and were abruptly thrown aside or crushed as Exilius charged forward into them.

Teresa got to her feet. She looked around, and spying a ventilation shaft, grabbed hold of Iza and pulled him along. "Help me up," she said. Iza hissed a warning at her. "Lace your fingers, like this." Teresa placed her boot in Iza's hand, and then stood. Iza groaned under the weight, especially as she placed her other foot on his shoulder.

"You ever think of losing some weight!" he barked. Teresa pulled out her knife and jammed it between the ventilation grate and the wall. She twisted and worked the blade, finally breaking the grate off, and quickly lifted herself in. Iza looked back at the chieftain, who was ripping and stomping in a blind fury. As much afraid of him as the humans, Iza decided it would be safer for now to follow the lieutenant.

They scrounged through the shafts for some time, and Iza wondered if she actually knew where she was going, but he figured the voice in her helmet was giving her guidance. He did not much like the sight of the soles of her boots, and he wanted to ask where she was going, but he didn't. He had learned long ago not to question orders. Just do what he had to do, what he was told. Probably why he had lived as long as he had.

Teresa stopped when she came upon one of the grates just beneath her head. She looked down into it, then over her shoulder to Iza. She lifted her hand and held up three fingers, before Iza nodded. Teresa continued forward a few feet until her toes were resting on the grate. Iza was confused, but she took a knife from the back of her belt and began very slowly cutting a hole in the solid metal of the shaft. There was a loud whine and crinkling of the metal on metal. Iza held his breath and shut his eyes closed tight. He was sure that any moment the shaft would be alive with gunfire. But no, nothing came about. Inch by inch, she opened the hole until it was enough she could draw her pistol and put the barrel through the hole. She took the knife by the blade and passed it back to Iza, but he never took it. Instead, he crawled forward until he could see through the grate at the humans down below. "I'll take the one sitting at the controls," Teresa whispered. "Take the two guards out at the door."

Iza nodded and took up his second pistol. He almost rested them on the grate, carefully lining the sights with the human's helmeted skulls, through the obstruction of the grate. They dressed like those black clad shock troopers Iza had seen before, Helljumpers, only their uniform was a solid white. Camouflage for the arctic environment? Perhaps, but what did it really matter? A human was a human, a kill was a kill.

Teresa shot first. A moment after the gunshot echoed painfully through the shaft, Iza squeezed both triggers simultaneously. The humans dropped to the ground. Rotating the gun so he was holding the barrel, Iza smashed the butt onto the grate. After three hits, the grate broke in. He crawled out, rather clumsily falling onto the floor of the room. It was painful, but he recovered, and skimmed the room for anyone else. He shot a fourth human who was hiding under the table, and that must have been the last human there. "Area clear, Ms. Shooty. Where are we?"

Teresa climbed out of the shaft. She reached behind her helmet to take out a small chip. She quickly put it into one of the room's computer. A moment later, a hologram projector on the dashboard came to life, and a small orange figure stretched out.

"Thank heavens, I was really getting annoyed being cooped up in there." Kazanna looked to Iza and smiled softly. "Hello again. Right, down to business." She touched a hand to her ear in a gesture that she was using the radio. "Chieftain, this is Kazanna. I'm inside the bases system. Chieftain, please believe me. This is not a trap on my behalf. This base was abandoned when we lost Harvest. I have no idea who these white ODSTs are, but…"

"Shut up and help me kill these things!" The chieftain's voice boomed through the room's speakers, making Iza cover his ears lest he be rendered deaf.

Kazanna swallowed. "Iza, Teresa. You…take the weapons that these men and women were carrying. If we do not aid the chieftain, those humans will kill him."

"How can the humans kill the chieftain?" Iza asked softly.

Kazanna looked to them. "Just head over to him. I'll give you directions. I'm still wrestling for control of the doorways, but I have solid control of the cameras."

XXX

Bits and pieces of Exilius' armor only barely clung to his skinsuit. Sticking out of his body was any number of combat knives, and he was riddled with gunfire. And when Iza and Teresa turned the corner, the humans had engulfed him in a pile. Iza and Teresa both paused as to what to do, how to help him.

If they could see Exilius' eye, they could see the usual green hue had given way to a deeper, darker color, mingled with shades of red. He gave a deep, long roar, placing two hands down underneath him and pushing himself off the ground, while the white ODSTs clung and beat at him. With another roar, he had placed a foot underneath him. And with one massive push, he had thrown some of the bodies off him.

Iza drew the battle rifle he had taken from one of the dead, and aimed, shot several bullets into the humans who were hanging from Exilius' back and arms. Upon seeing both Iza and Teresa, the white ODSTs instead retreated down the hallway. One of the humans was not so fast. Exilius had grabbed him around the middle in both hands, and twisted him into a bloodied mess.

The Jiralhanae turned, eyes red with anger and hate, and Iza genuinely feared that he would become Exilius' new victim. Bit the Jiralhanae shakily took a step forward, before slouching against the wall and sinking to the ground, panting and breathing heavy, a pool of blood quickly spreading out from underneath him.

"Chieftain, this is Kazanna. I'm projecting through the base's speakers. The humans are retreating. They seem to be organzing in the central control room. You've got thirty four hostiles there. Judging by the fact that they retreated, I assume they are guarding something important, so you should be able to rest.

Exilius hazily looked to one of the camera. "Contact the base. Give them these coordinates, and tell them to bring a platoon. When all the humans have settled in their control room, seal the doors."

Kazanna swallowed. "Yes chieftain, I will get right on that." She sighed, getting better control of the system and placing the dumb AI that ran this base into quarantine. "Chieftain, I will just ask that you and your men not execute the soldiers that are held in base. If for no other reason, they can be used for interrogation.

Exilius growled under his breath, but nodded, which Kazanna saw over the cameras. She quickly organized a radio transmission, and waited for the weather to settle enough that the message could get through.

XXX

It was three hours later that Captain Arrimus and his squad came over the barren white landscape. Arrinus climbed out of the Warthog transport vehicle, and his subordinate Jiralhanae and five Unggoy climbed out of the back. They quickly climbed down the entrance and were greeted by Teresa and Iza.

"The first thing the white ODSTs did was break all the cameras in that room," Kazanna explained through the radios. "They've been wrestling with my control since two hours ago, when they suddenly stopped. I assume they were trying to worm out any important information. Anything I have needs to be deciphered, but I do have files."

The Jiralhanae captain growled lowly. "Where is the chieftain?"

"He was moved to one of the medical rooms. I guided Iza and Teresa how to stabilize him, though, I must admit he is in very bad shape. I had an agreement with him however. The humans have been locked in the central control room. I have seen to it that none have escaped. I ask you to honor your chieftain's contract, and spare at least a few of the humans, if only for the sake of interrogation. Captain, I beg of you. Don't slaughter these men."

The captain looked to Iza. "This is the chieftain's will?"

Iza nodded slowly.

"Then for him, I swill spare a few."

Exilius insisted on coming, even though he was badly hurt and could barely stand. When the Jiralhanae and Unggoy were at the door, Kazanna took a moment to undo the locks she had placed on the entry. Then, as quick as the motors would allow, she opened the door. There were no gunshot that came next, no roars of battles or screams of death. "What is happening?" Kazanna demanded. "I can't get one of the cameras in there. What the fuck is happening?"

Captain Arrimus gave a loud roar in response, and by the sound of it, he had punched a wall. "They're dead," he muttered. "All dead. By the rings, they all must have shot each other. Monsters. Unggoy, find what you can."

"No, they would have destroyed anything," said Exilius. "Unggoy, each of you, take one of the human corpses. I want them brought back. Kazanna, prepare the self destruct. I want this base destroyed."

"Chieftain, perhaps we can keep this base. If I keep digging, I might find something that they forget to delete."

"I will not give the enemy an edge, I will not let this blight stand. This base will be destroyed. This resource will be lost. And if there are more humans out there, and they come to this base, they will see what we will do to them."


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

Iza stepped out of the shower, feeling infinitely better than he had before. After a long few days of not moving, staring at the barren white, shivering down to his tail feathers, there were few things that could make him feel as good as warm water. Now he felt nice and clean, and so much more relaxed than he had been. His aching feet felt better, his sore muscles felt better.

And besides, it was good to stay under the water and think every now and then. What with all that had happened in a rather short amount of time. He thought about losing his place with the Sangheili, and now taking orders from the chieftain. He thought about the alleged treaty, and why the chieftain had decided to go along with it. He thought about the chieftain a lot, actually.

Iza had taken a dropship to the main Jiralhanae ship, and had picked a room that, judging by the size and contents, was the chieftain's. He had chosen it because the it was the biggest and had the best chance for a steady stream of hot water, and since he was sure none of the subordinate males would ever enter their exalted chieftain's room. Besides, the chieftain had been in surgery for the past few days, so he _shouldn't _be coming back. Unfortunately, Iza had forgotten to lock the bedroom door. But why would he? So when the chieftain came trouncing into the room, Iza was understandably slightly taken back.

Exilius did not immediately notice the Kig-Yar, as he was distracted by a hologram read out of the perimeter. And Iza, so terrified of the Jiralhanae now in the room, found himself rooted to the spot, even as Exilius walked into him. Finished with his shower, Iza had been drying off and ready to get dressed. Exilius barely registered the impact when he walked into the Kig-Yar, but Iza fell hard onto his back. Exilius finally looked down, and growled.

"I'm sorry!" Iza shouted. He clawed back and moved as fast away from the Jiralhanae as he could. His towel was lost to the friction of the ground, and he left a wet trail along the ground. He only stopped upon hitting the far wall.

Exilius sighed and shook his head. "Get dressed," he growled. "I've arms to give you." And he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Iza utterly baffled at what had just transpired.

Fifteen minutes later, Iza's hand had stopped shaking enough that he could dry himself off and get dressed. There was still moisture in his feathers and his skin, but he just wanted to get out of the room before the chieftain decided to come back in and step on him. But Exilius was waiting outside the door, arms crossed over his chest. "Come with me," he said, and Iza obeyed.

"We pillaged the supposedly abandoned human base," Exilius said. "They had an extensive armory, the contents of which I had moved to this ship. Have you ever used the Type-31?"

"The Needle Rifle!" Iza shouted. "You found a Needle Rifle!" Iza wasn't like the chieftain, who seemed to have a fetish with the hammer perpetually placed on his back, but he DID appreciate a good gun. And the Needle Rifles were a rare find in recent times. "Where is it? Oh chieftain, can I have one? Please? I promise, I'll kill anyone you want!"

Exilius walked into one of the storerooms that was serving as a second armory. The weapons still had to be looked over to be sure there were no fail safes that might pose a danger. Exilius, however, had looked over the Needle Rifle personally, so it was in easy reach when he walked in. Once Iza had it, he was like a child with a new toy. "By the rings, I haven't seen one of these in ages. It's a beautiful weapon. I like the carbine, don't get me wrong. But this, there's just something so satisfying about putting a pretty pink needle right between some bastard's eyes. Uhm…Chieftain. Where there any pistols? Humans have the best magnums."

"Yes Iza. Once we look through the stock properly, I'll let you have your pick. But there is one thing I wanted to give you." Exilius reached behind his back, and produced one of his combat knives.

"Uhm…thank you chieftain." Though Iza doubted he would ever use such a ridiculous weapon, he didn't want to seem ungrateful. Besides, the rifle would keep him well entertained. And the thought of more ammo for the pistol on his belt made him smile. "Chieftain, can I ask you something?"

Exilius stepped out of the room and nodded briefly.

"Well chieftain, uhm…not that I'm complaining at all. But I'm just wondering, why do you favor me, to others?"

"I favor you to other Kig-Yar," Exilius corrected, "because you're not completely retarded, and that's something that I look to when picking my lieutenants."

"Oh, uhm...alright. Thanks?"

Exilius snorted a slight chuckle. "Come with me. We're going back down to the planet."

"Why so?" Iza asked, coming up behind the Jiralhanae.

"There are some humans who are trying to kill us. Maybe not the ones who are here, but that base was not some abandoned shelter. And those humans were fucking strong."

"Did you arm wrestle one of them?" Iza chuckled.

"They punched me," Exilius said. "And it hurt. They didn't hit my armor, they hit my gut. But I felt it."

That meant something to Iza too. He had seen Mgalekgolo go toe to toe with Jiralhanae, and the Jiralhanae win. He had seen Jiralhanae catch a Sangheili's kick and proceed to rip the poor Sangheili's leg right off. And more than that, he had seen Jiralhanae take four rifle shots to the gut and show not an ounce of pain. For a human to be able to wound a Jiralhanae, with bare fists no less, what sort of humans were these?

Exilius surveyed the area as his dropship was piloted down to the base. With the humans as manual labor, aiding the other Covenant forces, the area was growing more secure each passing moment. As ordered, a series of trenches had been dug that would aid if the humans came over the ground. And if the humans came through the air, they would be met with anti-air measures. The human had set up their tanks towards the center of the base. They and their trucks with gauss canons and lasers would be able to shoot down drop ships.

Exilius leapt off the dropship before it had fully landed, and began stomping over the snow. Heculus came to his side. "Still no sign of the Sangheili?"

"No chieftain," the captain said. "We should just leave. Kill the humans and return to Dosiac."

"We did arrive early. We were afraid of falling into a trap. If the Sangheili do not arrive on time however, I will put you in charge of disposing of the humans."

Heculus grinned cruelly. "It will be a pleasure chieftain."

XXX

The first week on this planet came to an end, as night fell. Seven standard days. Exilius was feeling a fair bit better after the medications and surgeries from the humans. The AI had insisted he receive treatment. He wasn't a doctor or a medic, so he didn't understand what they had done to him, he only knew that some of the mounting aches and the sickening feeling in his stomach had gone away. He was still in bad shape and fighting the pangs of exhaustion, but he seemed to mostly have stopped coughing up blood.

But for night, he wouldn't be sleeping. If there was an attack, it would be by cover of night. That's how humans worked. He growled softly. Now he was pressed into the front trench, hammer on his back and Spiker clenched tightly in his grip. At the front lines were himself and his personal guard, as well as some humans, who were better skilled with long range weapons. The formation went Jiralhanae, human, Jiralhanae, human. Humans had battle rifles and assault rifles, Jiralhanae had Spikers and Maulers. Humans would take the first few shots. And when the enemy grew too close, Jiralhanae would attack while the humans retreated to another trench, housed by Unggoy grenadiers. Unggoy would throw their grenades to provide cover while the Jiralhanae retreated to the trench as well.

The tactic was meant to fight an enemy who attacked en masse. Exilius did not know the numbers of the white ODSTs, but he was not one to play games with an enemy. For all he knew, they outnumbered his men a thousand to one. On the other hand, his snipers, who had taken position at the high ground, were to warn against a smaller squad.

It was three hours into the darkness when his radio buzzed. Exilius groaned and opened his eyes. He might have nodded off, he couldn't tell. He took a fistful of snow and used it to wet his tongue before answering his radio.

"This is Shooter Kach," came a Kig-Yar's voice. "We have possible movement."

"Where Kach?" Exilius asked.

There was a moment, then the voice came back. "Just small movement. Could be wind blowing snow. About two klicks ahead of you, chieftain."

Exilius squatted and relayed the information to the human beside him, who was carrying a battle rifle. She nodded slowly, and lifted the weapon to her eyes, before resting it on the edge of the trench.

"I don't see anything sir. It's dark, and if they are wearing white, I wouldn't be able to see them if they are coming in small squads."

"Kach, how close are they to the snowmen?"

"The movement? I saw it a bit away from the snowmen. Maybe, a few meters? But, they were away from the snowmen. So, they are coming closer."

Exilius growled. He thought to himself a time, weighing his options. He had wanted to save the snowmen as a trump card, a diversion in an emergency, but it mattered not. He would find something else. The night was when he and his men were in the most danger. In open air and open light a lone Jiralhanae could slaughter any number of the white ODSTs, but at night, those same ODSTs could worm through the darkness and come in close.

"Seal the trenches," he said over an open radio message. The Jiralhanae quickly lifted pieces of scrap metal from behind them in the trench. Exilius had ordered the dismantling of the overly damaged dropships for their armored hull. The Jiralhanae covered the trench's top with the covering, then squatted down amongst the humans. The Unggoy in the second trench, who had not been given armor, quickly scurried out of the trench and back to the center of the base. On all fours, and leaving their weapons in the trench, they could move pretty quickly.

"Kach, radio Wrath when you believe the humans are in position."

"Its movement chieftain, I don't know if they are humans." She was terrified that she would be blamed if this was a blunder. "It's just…too consistent. And moving forward. Very slowly, I don't even have to move my scope to follow, but…it is moving."

"Radio Wrath when they movement is closer to the snowmen. I doubt the humans would suspect a trap. We are just dumb Brutes after all."

Then there was silence. The humans in the trenches shifted nervously, surrounded by great brutes and armed with weapons that were pitiful at close range. More than one thought this might all just be an elaborate trap.

"Ten seconds, chieftain, I would guess, based on the speed of the shifting snow," Kach's voice came. "Five seconds."

He braced the covering above him while the humans instinctively moved closer to him. They may have been afraid of him, but they were more afraid of what came next.

A moment after Kach said "one," there was a moment of absolute silence. The Jiralhanae didn't snarl or growl, the humans didn't breath. Then there was an explosion and shockwave that actually knocked several Jiralhanae down. It was the poor balance they had in squatting that cause the embarrassing moment. Hopefully none of the humans were squished, but Exilius wasn't sure. He hoisted himself to his feet and pushed the covering above them aside before climbing out of the trench.

"Kach," he said. "Kach?"

"By the rings chieftain, where did you ever think of exploding snowmen? I've heard of buried mines, but…stuffing snowmen with bombs?"

There was grand laughter within the trenches, and not just the Jiralhanae. Some humans found the tactic amusing. Exilius was calm however. He looked over the darkened ground. There were still burning spots that lit the land, though it would be impossible to tell if there had been humans there to kill, and if there had been, had any been killed. It didn't matter. That show of force would scare the humans back to their dens and warrens.

Exilius dozed off again over the course of the night, and it was the rising sun hitting his face that roused him from sleep. He groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Report," he said.

"All is quiet, chieftain. No movement, no shots, nothing. I think that we scared the humans off." Exilius groaned and rubbed his eyes. "You have done well," he said. "All of you. Change guard and rest. Today the Sangheili may come. Be on guard."

Exilius climbed out of the trench, and headed towards the center base to get something to eat when his radio buzzed. He sighed, and touched a finger to his ear. "Yes?"

"Hello chieftain, this is Kazanna. I am aboard my ship and, as you requested, I examined some of the corpses you brought from that base."

Exilius groaned, looking to the mess hall he could be eating at. "What did you learn?"

"I'm sure you are not interested in human biology," she said. "But to put it bluntly, they were not healthy subjects. They had no livers to speak of. Several bones throughout each was broken at a much earlier date or had healed incorrectly and yet you say that they fought enough to wound you. Their stomachs and intestines; I'm not even sure what the medical term would be, but it's like they've been drinking battery acid and urinated it out. As well, of the six bodies, four of them had an enlarged heart."

"What does that mean, human?" he growled. He just wanted to eat and sleep while there was still light.

"I am not completely sure, chieftain. If it was in one of the subject, I would excuse it as some sort of genetic disorder that was somehow overlooked when he joined the navy. But, the sheer volume of defects in the bodies, I cannot even begin to imagine. Chieftain, I'm sorry, but I have no idea what could be wrong with these humans. I know that your orders were that when I am done, the bodies were to be used as meat, but I request you allow me to preserve them."

"Yes, it's fine Kazanna. Continue studying them." He rubbed his chest briefly, and his hand slide down to his belly. Only once had he been heart like that, back when he first met Wrath and killed the demon. The demon hit harder, but that same precision and strength, a fist to slip right between his armor and hit the softness of his gut. He remembered that time.

"Chieftain," came Herculus' voice. A ship has just entered the sector.

"Sangheili?" he asked.

"By the codes, yes."

Exilius rubbed his eyes. There would be no sleep today, he would be lucky if he ate anything. With a sigh, instead of heading to the dropship that would take him to the base, he went into the human's area of the camp, and met with the human commander. Exilius gave a passive salute, which was returned. "Who do you think they'll send, chieftain?" the human asked.

Exilius shook his head. "I do not know, commander. I would guess, though, some low ranking minor. Some child barely out of the schools. The Sangheili would not fancy us worthy of anyone higher."

A single dropship emerged from the newly arrived mothership. One lone Phantom dropship seemed to confirm Exilius' suspicious. No Sangheili of high rank would come down without a small platoon of guards.

"I don't get it though," continued the human. "The Sangheili were the ones who wanted to start the treaty. I mean, I'm not opposed to it, on the grounds that you Brutes terrify me. But they were the ones who came to us, not the other way around."

Exilius stared at the dropship as it came and landed in the clear area within the camp's walls.

"Sangheili are fickle bastards," Exilius sighed. "The universe would be better without their taint, their lies, their deception."

The gravity lift activated and the occupant of the ship dropped down. Exilius' eyes opened wide as the Sangheili came to his full stature.

"I am the Arbiter, here to discuss the nature of our treaty."


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

Exilius didn't feel comfortable talking to the Arbiter, so he didn't. He looked away and acted as if he were watching for a show of attack, and if addressed gave a simple growl and snarl. The Arbiter and the human commander were the ones who talked. Exilius followed after them like a dog at their heels. It was annoying, but he had other things to worry about. Exilius wished they had sent some other Sangheili, some low ranking minor who could barely hold a sword and wouldn't look him in the eye. If such a Sangheili was killed, what would anyone care? But no, the Sangheili had to send their precious Arbiter. And if their Arbiter died…

General Roberts finished explaining the situation to the Arbiter, who nodded his understanding. "We've known several rouge sects of humans to engage in piracy, but an attack like this... Chieftain, have you any thoughts on the situation?"

Exilius looked to the Arbiter, unsure about the request. Try as he might, his ever present anger for Sangheili in general and the Arbiter specifically held his tongue for a time. Finally, he sighed, and said, "From what I have seen, they are well organized, zealous, and well funded." No sense in mentioning their biology. The Arbiter did not need to know everything. "There have been possible attacks and possible kidnappings. My instincts say that there will be one tonight. We attacked one of their bases and razed it. That will make them angry. I suspect they attempted an attack before, but were scared off. It is six hours until night fall."

"Why have you not contacted us with this information? I could have come with additional support?" the Arbiter asked.

"This operation is meant to be covert, Arbiter. As you know," General Roberts said. "No one knows we are here, and no one can know we are here. Forgive me for not contacting you, but I was afraid our messages may have been intercepted."

"And you speak of kidnappings?" the Arbiter asked.

That was a question that Exilius could not ignore. He sighed, and said, "When we first arrived at this planet, I sent a team of scouts out. Many have yet to return, and I fear the worse. I only hope that they are dead, I would not wish them to be tortured by their captors."

The Arbiter's mandibles clenched. "If they dare attack us, then let us attack them first. You say that the base you raided was a registered human base?"

General Roberts nodded. "Yes Arbiter."

"Would you please ask your AI to send a listing of human bases within the area? These rebels must be organizing somewhere. If we can strike at them first, we may spare an attack tonight. Tomorrow we can organize a proper purge of this planet. Both of you, organize a team. We will attack three bases. If the gods are with us, at least one of the bases will hold the enemy, and we will deal a blow that will stay their hand for the night."

General Roberts nodded enthusiastically. Exilius thumped his chest, and the trio parted.

Exilius walked alone. He repeatedly checked in with the marksmen and spotters, who all reported movement but no clear sign of hostiles. But, these humans were not the kind to attack en masse. They were the kind to attack in small groups. They wouldn't even make their present known until something blew up. Looking to the sky, he saw several drop ships come down from the Sangheili's main ship. The Sangheili no longer painted their ship green, they had returned to purple, and the purple glowed slightly in the slight sun glow of the planet. He counted three drop ships in total. He followed the landing of one of them, and observed it from a safe distance. The Sangheili exited the ship, looked about, then disappeared into a shimmer of bent light.

"Brothers," Exilius said into his radio. "There are Sangheili amongst us. I know that this is difficult: their scent in the air, their voice on our radios. But we suffer now so that our children will not tomorrow. Not one of us matter. All that matters is the treaty, the safety of our planet, and the safety of our sons. Bless every one of you."

He sighed. He was almost starting to believe his own preaching. That's what it was. Preaching, and nothing more. There was no truth in his words. There was barely any enthusiasm. But they were words for his men, who, he was proud of, and he would never let them doubt his loyalty. Hopefully, that would be enough.

XXX

Iza was alerted to the chieftain's presence by the heavy crunch of the creature's large feet over the snow. He looked over his shoulder to the chieftain, then back into the scope of his rifle. "Something wrong, big guy?" Iza asked.

"Any movement?"

"Tons, chieftain. But…there's wind that whips up the snow and could give the humans cover. There are tricks of the sun that bend the light off the snow or that could be someone with cover crawling forward on their belly. And there is a lot of open space. And there are fucking animals. How the fuck are there still animals on this planet? How damn hardy must those things be."

"Animals?" Exilius asked. He put his hand over his eyes to block out the sun. A moment later, he had fallen over and was gripping his chest. Iza was baffled at what had happened, but when Exilius sat up and took him around the middle, he let a scream escape his lips. Exilius yanked him down flat onto the ground beside him, while the chieftain rolled onto his belly. "This is Chieftain Exilius," he said into his radio. "We have a sniper at the west wall. Clever fucks, they're wearing animal hides. Keep your heads down, there might be more."

Exilius looked to Iza. "Can you shoot him?"

"I didn't hear where the shot came from," Iza said, calming down. "They're probably a bit out, buried under the snow. Or…are every one of those beasts really a human?"

Exilius groaned. "No, they must have released some of their beasts to confuse us. What kind of humans are these?"

"Well chieftain, you can rip my head off, but I'm not sticking my head out just to get shot."

Exilius rolled to a seated position and peeked his Spiker over the cover trench. He sprayed a couple shots, for appearance only. "They don't want you, Kig-Yar, they want me, or they would have shot you long ago. I'll lure their shot."

Iza stared at the chieftain, baffled, especially after the chieftain hoisted his hammer off his back and leapt over the cover. He roared, charging over the trench and the no man's land, into the open area, and ran towards where he guessed the shot had come from. "Fucking lunatics," Iza muttered, switching his Needle rifle for his beam rifle and resting it on the edge of the trench. "Come on, come on you fucks."

Exilius was hit once in the stomach and fell to his knees. But Iza was able to trace the trail of smoke and flicker of the muzzle The sniper was buried well under cover. Aside from the long barrel, Iza couldn't actually see the sniper. Still, he could deduce where the sniper was, and holding his breath, squeezed the trigger.

"Did I get him?" Iza squawked.

Exilius rose back to his feet slowly, holding his side. "I don't know, Iza," Exilius said over his radio. "I'm going to confirm the kill. Cover me. The humans tend to travel in pairs."

The air beside Iza shivered and the ground crunched beneath heavy hooves. "Chieftain is confirming the kill. He might need cover." He assumed the cloaked Sangheili nodded recognition, for the Sangheili soon enough was trotting forward, followed by two more. "Chieftain, you've Sangheili coming behind you. _Don't _murder them. Remember, the treaty. If you want to murder someone, I can send some humans out to cover you as well."

Exilius growled. There was a spread of crimson from where the human sniper had been buried. Some of the animals around him made odd, animal noises. Exilius crushed one beneath his hammer to be sure they were indeed animals, and not humans wrapped in skins. By looking forward, Exilius noticed two humans trying to retreat over the ground, and they had made rather good distance. It was hard to stay calm. The scent of spilled blood, the uneven footsteps of wounded prey. He had to remain calm. The humans would be useful for interrogation, or preserving meat, but he should at least try to take them alive.

One human, perhaps the spotter, was trying to carry the wounded sniper, but when it was clear that Exilius would overtake them as he was coming at a heavy run, the spotter set the sniper down and tried to lift his assault rifle. Exilius roared and swung, the hammer connected with the human's side and sent the body, bloodied and broken, skipping over the snow. Exilius growled at the sniper, who fumbled with his survival pack, at last pulling out an injection gun. He pressed it to his neck, under the helmet, and fired. Exilius assumed it to be some sort of healing agent, but then the human leapt to his feet and charged. The humans at the base had done the same thing. Exilius tried to brace himself, but the human managed to put a punch into his stomach, in a spot near where he had prior been shot. A gasp of pain escaped his lips. Even wounded, regular humans were not supposed to hurt him that badly.

"Iza, shoot him!" Exilius said, throwing himself to the side and giving the Kig-Yar a clean shot. Iza took the shot, putting a blast into the center of the human's chest. The human groaned, guarding himself, but quickly enough he was upon one of the Sangheili who was coming out of his active camo. The human roared as he pinned the Sangheili down and took firm hold of his mandibles. He started to yank, and the Sangheili let out a pained roar, until one of his brother activated his sword and slashed through the human's soft neck.

"By the rings," the Sangheili muttered, pushing the corpse of the human aside. "What demons are these?" With a roar, he stomped decapitated body into the snow, spilling a mass of blood. Not satisfied, he turned and tore into one of the beasts that still wandered about the area. They were dumb creatures, probably some source of human food. And the humans had released them as a distraction. Exilius would ask when had the first animal been seen later, but no one seemed to think they were a threat.

Exilius growled, getting to his feet and using his hammer to aid his balance. He walked over to the injector that the human had used, and scooped it up. With it, he took a handful of snow, but he did not trust his thick fingers to take something so delicate, so it didn't matter that much. Iza was walking out of the trench and over the open area towards him. Exilius squatted down. "Take this to Kazanna," he said. "I'm going to go pass out in my personal quarters. Wake me if there's an attack."

"Sure chieftain, sure. Chieftain…just be careful. I won't always be here to save your ass." He smiled, heading off.

XXX

Iza rode one of the human's dropships to their mother ship. They wouldn't let him carry weapons past the hangar, which annoyed him to no end since he really did not want to lose his magnum nor the Needle rifle. He finally relented and gave them up, before heading to the science ward of the ship, where he came face to face with a tiny, doll sized hologram person.

"Uhm…hello?" Iza said.

"Hello, I'm Kazanna. You are?"

"I'm Iza…Chieftain's lieutenant." He smiled slightly at his position, and then offered the injection gun. "Chieftain wanted me to give this to you. Don't know what it is, but I saw a human inject it into his neck and then…uhm…he tackled Chieftain. I kinda think that says it all."

"Yes, it does." The hologram blinked away, returning a moment later beside some sort of scanner. "Place the weapon in here please," she said. Iza nodded and did as requested. Kazanna flickered away again, though he guessed she was the lasers that flickered over the weapon. "Would you do me another favor?" she asked. "Take a sample of the fluid from the gun, and put it into the computer at the far wall."

Iza shrugged passively and gathered the gun up. With a needle and syringe, he took a sample of the fluid from the reserve tank in the back, and placed the few drops into the computer's tank.

"Thank you Kig-Yar. After I am finished analyzing this, I will send any findings to the chieftain. Hopefully this will explain some of the mysteries that have been plaguing me."

"Good luck with that. Hey computer lady, you have any spare rooms on this ship?"

"Yes," Kazanna said softly. "We're running on a skeleton crew. Head to the barracks and find a room without any personal effects. Chances are that one is empty."

Iza nodded. "Thanks." He suppressed a yawn, and eager to sleep in a real bed instead of in a tent, had a little skip in his step as he headed off to the barracks.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

Exilius slept for a good while. If there was a battle, he slept through it, safe in his personal quarters on his ship. He was happy when he woke, not only because he felt refreshed but also that there were no sirens going off and the ship was still in the air. If the humans had the numbers, they would have crushed this base by now. So they didn't have the numbers. They wanted to attack slow, and wear the alliance down. Exilius grinned. These humans would be sorely surprised by a Jiralhanae's raw endurance.

"Report," Exilius said into his radio, contacting Herculus.

"Greeting chieftain. No attacks in any force. They enemy has positioned several snipers around the perimeter and they occasionally take shots at us, but rarely do they connect or kill. Our Kig-Yar seem to believe they are far out of an effective range. They get lucky, but at most we have lost two Unggoy."

"They are just trying to scare us," Exilius said. "Exhaust us. I've seen such a technique before. Keep the guards rotated and well fed. I will be down shortly to relieve you."

"Thank you chieftain," Heculus said. Exilius then checked for additional messages, and found one from the human AI. He sighed, answering the message and opening a channel with her.

"Greeting chieftain," came the feminine voice. "I have analyzed the sample of fluid that Iza brought me. Would you like to come over to my ship for the results?"

"I do not have time for it. Just tell me what you learned."

There was a pause, and an annoyed sigh. "You should just come to my ship, but fine. The chemical is some sort of stimulant drug. The exact compound I have never seen, but it seems to be based on some experiments that ONI was running during the war. Chieftain, I truly believe you should come to my ship. I have already contacted the Arbiter and the general. This is something that we should discuss in person."

Exilius growled. As if more time away from the battlefield wasn't enough, now he would have to confront the Arbiter. "Fine," he muttered, and headed for the ship's hangar.

Half an hour later he was back on the human's ship. Judging by the Sangheili who waited in the hangar, guarding a drop ship, he deduced that the Arbiter had beaten him here. With a sigh, he headed off to the science room, only giving a few token snorts to the Sangheili, who returned the show with a snarl and a step forward. But there was something missing. Exilius didn't really care about fighting the Sangheili, and the Sangheili didn't seem that interested in him. They seemed bored in fact.

Inside the science room, was Kazanna, the general, the Arbiter, as well as a few personal guards for the latter two. Exilius took a position towards the back as Kazanna's hologram came into a center platform.

"Thank you for coming," she said softly. "As most of you know, I've been running a series of tests on the bodies of some of the white ODSTs. I've seen several problems on the bodies, but I did not understand any connection. However, after the chieftain secured a fluid that one of the white ODSTs injected themselves with, I've managed to fill in some of the blanks.

"It's a compound, the exact nature of which I am not familiar with, but it bares certain similarities to a chemical that ONI had developed during the war. It was called 'Project: Sea Lion'. I have no idea why, but the purpose of the chemical was to imbue the taker with heightened strength, speed, and stamina. The idea was to make everyone a Spartan. But, just like the Spartan project, there were any number of problems in regards to the subject's health. After taking the experimental serum, a subject would have maybe a day before his heart exploded. Do you understand? It didn't stop, it exploded." She sighed, rubbing her head. "Even if the subject managed to survive until the drug's effect wore off, the damage to his body was irreversible. Heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, adrenal gland; it was as if everything in his body was aged a hundred years forward. The project was scrapped.

"Judging by the autopsies I've had performed, it seems _they_ have refined the chemical to the point that it's not so quickly fatal, as there were varying degrees of damage to the organs. I would guess that the worse subjects have taken the chemical repeatedly, and the ones with lesser damage once or twice. As the chieftain testified, they had the strength and dexterity to punch through a hole in his armor and injure him. And as Minor 'Refum mentioned, one of them nearly ripped both mandibles off. The same human had been injured with a wound to the shoulder and was bleeding from opening his wounds. Needless to say, the soldier's strength and stamina had risen far beyond that of any normal ODST's.

"I would ask each of you to inform your subordinates about this development. Warn them against engaging the enemy in close quarters unless absolutely necessary, and…" She cringed at these next words. "We cannot take them alive. All shots must be made to kill…"

XXX

Herculus was relieved of his command, and Exilius took over the front guard of the base. A storm was coming, judging by the way the clouds cringed and twisted and the tingle in Exilius' fur. "The attack will come tonight," he muttered.

Iza looked up. He was squatted behind cover, rifle rested before him and eye focused through the scope. He shivered, and resumed guard duty.

"No movement?"

"No chieftain," Iza said. "No snipers for a while now. Isn't that good?"

"If we had the numbers, it would mean they were retreating, but I have a feeling they have the numbers."

Iza groaned, rolling onto his rump and pulling his feet close. "Yeah, I know what that means."

"You still have the knife I gave you?"

"You mean the sword?" Iza chuckled. He reached onto his belt and patted it. "Why can't I have a shard? Or a human knife? I can barely lift this thing."

"A human knife is just a knife." Exilius reached behind him, and took his own machete off his belt. "This, this is a force."

Jiralhanae and their fetish for big, sharp things. Iza rolled his eyes. Exilius replaced the blade to its place on his belt. "The storm will whip up sometime later," the Jiralhanae continued.

"You really think the bad guys are going to attack?"

"Maybe their snipers were lures. And now they figure we're not coming out, so they're going to have to come in. They have to know that the Arbiter is here now. That's every human's wet dream. During the storm, they'll try and come in with cover."

Fifteen minutes later came the first shot. One of the white ODSTs popped out of the snow a few yards from the first trench, prepped his rocket launcher and fired into the base. One of the Kig-Yar snipers took him out with a shot through the helmet, but the rocket still landed inside and caused a great deal of havoc and confusion within the base. Temporary confusion at best, but a fire had started in the base, and some of the Unggoy paniced. Some of the more level headed species went about dousing the flames, but a distraction was all that was needed. In a moment, the full enemy army had come pouring through the horizon: heavy armor at the front, flanked by foot soldiers, and gun turret mounted Warthogs behind them. "Do you ever get tired of being wrong, chieftain?" Iza muttered, lifting his rifle to his eye. The humans were not yet in range, and he didn't want to waist the rifle's battery hoping for a lucky shot. Besides, not like he could hit them head on. The armor they had wasn't the tanks, but those odd arm mounted shields that he had seen back at the base. They would stop the lasers. And he had to wait a few more breathes to work a shot past the armor and to the humans behind.

Exilius took up his Spiker and squatted down. "Herculus, get the Arbiter. See to it that a squad is assigned to guard him."

"Chieftain…"

"Do it Herculus!"

Exilius sighed, looking out to the swarming mass of humans that were charging at them. Behind Exilius, several fat green blobs from the plasma canons were fired at an angle, as were the shots from the Wraith tanks. But the humans wanted blood, and through the explosions they kept coming. Exilius tightened the grip of his Spiker.

Exilius thought about that wounded sniper, the one that had shot him in the gut, then delivered a punch to the stomach that made him gag. That sniper had taken a drug to turn himself into a demon, and if not for the Sangheili, that human would have killed him. He had managed to kill all those humans in the base because they were a mob, and mobs fight sloppy. A mob of humans, a mob of Unggoy, even a pack of Jiralhanae, it didn't matter what their advantages, the disadvantages were usually too severe. Mobs made for careless fighters, because they thought they could rely on others instead of relying on themselves. There were exceptions, but Exilius would take a mob of slobs to one well trained human backed into a corner. Not to mention, he could fight mobs easier than one lone fighter. He could swing his hammer in wide arcs and knock a dozen of the bastards aside. "Stay here," he said to Iza, before climbing out of the trench. The Sangheili joined him in meeting the humans head on. They immediately abandoned their carbines and rifles in place of swords and staves. Despite Kazanna's warning, it was the better of choices. Leave the Unggoy, Kig-Yar and allied humans to stay behind and provide covering fire. They would get overwhelmed and devoured by these humans without much of a fight. Better to let the larger creatures fight on the front lines.

Of course, the weakness of a mob was also its benefit. The enemy outnumbered the alliance, even with the three faction's combined, because they had each come with a skeleton crew. And this must have been the white ODST's base planet.

"This is the Arbiter. We cannot let these parasites push into the center of the base, or all is lost. Unggoy, find your valor and hold your place. The Sangheili will protect you, but you must guard us well. Humans and Kig-Yar, reach higher ground. Eliminate their numbers farther back until they are tripping over their dead as they retreat. Jiralhanae, push with the Sangheili. We are brothers. Protect your brother, guard him, work with him, not against."

Exilius growled under his breath. "Arbiter, you need to get someplace more secure. This entire army is for you. You must get to safety."

The radio hissed and stung in response. Exilius tightened his grip on the blood slick hammer as he positioned it over his head. The heavy units and mortar bombardment from the Wraiths had taken out of most of the enemy's heavy armor. But some of the Warthogs had punched through the line of Sangheili and deep inside. They slaughtered many Unggoy and humans before being stopped, but the line was broken, and it damaged morale.

"Hold the line!"

The Arbiter's voice echoed over the battlefield. He did not use the radio, but his powerful roar was carried through the carnage, giving strength to the battered. But even his voice could not give strength when the Demon entered the fray. Not one of the fake demons, or one of miniature brood. The Warthog that carried the true Demon ground to a stop and one of the smaller demons on the turret lay suppressive fire. Another miniature demon was in the passenger seat, assault rifle in hand and shooting at stray Jiralhanae or a Unggoy who had been caught out of his cover. But the driver of the Warthog was a real Demon, the kind of Demon that sent the Unggoy scurrying away. The kind that gave the humans, even the humans allied with Exilius, pause and wonder a moment before they were bitten foully by the bullets from the turret or assault rifle. Taking two magnums off his belt, the Demon strolled forward, shooting thick bullets into any that lined in his crosshairs. The Warthog remained where it was while the Demon walked forward, unloading and reloading his weapons passively as the lesser creatures struggled to escape him.

Exilius was not a lesser creature. While the others charged past him, he roared and stomped forward, and when in range swung horizontally with the bladed end of his hammer. The Demon was quicker, and ducked beneath the swing. He charged forward, tackling Exilius around the middle and driving the Jiralhanae to the ground. Exilius lifted the hammer, and the Demon took hold of it. A battle of strength proceeded, and though Exilius was in the worse position, his strength proved greater. He pushed the Demon back, until he could fit a leg between them. Putting his foot against the Demon's chest piece, he gave a hard kick and sent the Demon across the ground.

"Regroup and push out," Exilius roared getting to his feet. "Defend the Arbiter at all costs. Do not let him engage the Demon."

Exilius turned to face his foe, to find the Demon had recovered. He rested on his left foot and spun, right leg stretched forward. The toe of his boot struck in Exilius' side, then over his shoulder and across his jaw. Exilius pushed the shaft of his hammer forward, smashing the hand guard against the Demon's chest, but the Demon again wrapped his arms around shaft to wrestle it from Exilius' grip. As before, Exilius pushed the heel of his foot into the Demon's belly and knocked him back. But the Demon's grip was stronger, and he ended taking the hammer with him. Exilius drew the knife and approached. He tried an overhead swing to drive the knife deep, but with both hand the Demon caught him by the wrist. He sprung into the air, driving a knee into Exilius' gut and ripping the breath out of his lungs. Another punch followed across his jaw, as well as a heel kick to his knee that might have broken something. He suddenly felt a weight on his back and a tight grip around his neck. He looked back to see one of the smaller demon had put her arm around his neck. He growled and fought, stumbling forward, not noticing that the enemies had overtaken his position, and he was surrounded by them. His allies, the Jiralhanae especially but all of his allies, were pushing to reach him, but the enemies were not letting up, and the survival of the base took precedent over the one commander.

Exilius fell to his knees, gasping for air. He was feeling weak, and could not pry the surprisingly strong miniature demon's hands off him. He watched the Demon brace his leg, before kicking forward and driving the heel of his boot into Exilius' snout, knocking him out.

"Tango Alpha is not available. We have Tango Charlie. Code Romeo, I repeat: Code Romeo."

The Spartan squatted down and took a satchel charge off his back. He programmed the timer, before standing and tossing it with all his might into the center of the base, where two of the Wraith tanks had been providing mortar fire. The bomb exploded, sending all surrounding combatants to the ground and pausing the battle for precious seconds, as the Warthog the Spartan had come on backed up. The Spartan lifted the Jiralhanae and put him into the passenger seat, before taking hold of the side of the vehicle. The miniature demon climbed onto the gun turret, while the former gunner was driving. For a moment, a swarm of Jiralhanae pushed through the white ODSTs in a bid to save their chieftain, but they were suppressed by the turret's fire. "We're Oscar Mike," the Spartan said into his radio, as the Warthog sped off into the approaching storm.

The Warthog sped through the storm, pounding as fast as it could despite the dangerous weather conditions. They had not attacked during the storm, but just before, as to use the storm for cover in their escape. It was when they reached the eye of the storm that the Spartan yanked the Jiralhanae out of his seat and put him on the ground.

"Mongrel," he ordered. "Cut the Brute out of the armor. The last thing we need is there to be some tracking device in it." The smaller Spartan hopped out of the passenger seat of the vehicle and drew the knives from her chest. She squatted down, and began pulling and slicing the armor off. "Wolvy, can you raise anyone on the radio?"

The Spartan-III on the turret shook his head. "No sir. Storm's interference. Of course, after that battle, who the hell knows. We might be the only ones left. And we didn't even get the biggest fish."

"We got one of the big fishes," the Spartan said. "I would have preferred the traitor, but I'll take anyone. God willing, the apes will turn on the gators and the traitors will get eaten in the middle."

Mongrel gave a soft bark. The Spartan walked over, hoisting the Brute into a fireman's carry and loaded him into the passenger seat again. "I swear, I've seen this Kong before," he muttered. "Let's get back to the base."


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

"By the rings," was all the Arbiter could say. There was no life in his voice, no vigor. Just an empty, tired, weakness.

The Arbiter's lieutenant surveyed the scorched area alongside him. "We've lost many, many brothers, Arbiter. But counting the heads, the enemies have lost more. Many, many more. Even if we consider our…_allies_, the enemies have lost numbers three to one, four to one, even six to one I would guess. These humans throw their lives away like they were Unggoy."

"No, they sought one of our commanders, and in that, they succeeded. No matter the casualties we've inflicted, this is a grave loss of ours."

"You are alive, Arbiter, with only some cuts and scrapes. I consider this a victory of the highest caliber."

"I was barely able to fight. The Jiralhanae spent as much time keeping me on a leash as they did fighting the humans." The Arbiter growled, glaring to the other Sangheili. "How are the Jiralhanae?"

"They are angry. They riot like the beasts they are, stomping the already dead. They've destroyed several of our drop ships, seemingly for no other reason than they want something to destroy. I have moved all Sangheili away from them, though…Arbiter, some Sangheili have been harmed by them in some blind act of vengeance.

"Soft words and promises from that San 'Shyuum woman has stayed their hand for now, as have their wounded. But they are organizing to retrieve their chieftain. It is that San 'Shyuum. She tells them not to attack us, but that they must save their chieftain. But she could just as easily order the Brutes to turn on us. I can silence her, sir, and with her should go the Jiralhanae's leadership. It won't be easy to quell them, but it will allow us focus on the matter at hand."

The Arbiter gave another warning growl. "The Jiralhanae are our brothers, 'Refum. We will not slaughter them like dogs, nor will we leave one of theirs to rot. Watch your tongue, or it will not be the rabid Jiralhanae you have to fear."

The minor sighed and looked away. "Yes Arbiter."

The Arbiter looked to the side to see an Unggoy attempting to run over the snow towards him. The storm had settled briefly on this area and forced all into cover, but it seemed to have dissipated. Or perhaps this was the eye of the storm. It didn't matter. All forces were focused on saving who they could and reorganizing. The wind was still strong and the snow was still fresh, giving the Unggoy a great deal of (comical) trouble in coming across the area. "Arbiter," he panted. "Arbiter…"

"Catch your breath, little one."

"Please forgive, Arbiter. Radios still full of static. I've been running messages all morning." He stood up and assumed a fearful salute, which the Arbiter waved off. "Arbiter, Kazanna needs to see you aboard the ship, as does Captain Herculus."

"Thank you, little one." The Arbiter looked up to the floating ships in the air. They had moved higher into the atmosphere to avoid problems with the storm, and were still there. He headed off peacefully towards the collection of drop ships that were always available to ferry people onto the ships. Some Jiralhanae stayed close to him. He stopped in his walk and allowed them to approach. He would comfort them or fight them as needed, but none had the will to actually confront him. None even threw things at him. They were frightened.

"Greeting," the Arbiter said fifteen minutes later, as he came into the bridge of the _Rihannon._ He gave a polite nod to Kazanna, and a formal salute to the Jiralhanae captain. "You wished to see me?"

Kazanna sighed and shrugged tiny shoulders. "We must get the chieftain back."

"I understand your desires ma'am. And certainly your eagerness, captain. But we must not overlook our wounded in pursuit of one Jiralhanae. I would ask the same if I were in the chieftain's position."

"I will remember that," the captain growled.

"Both of you, stop it," Kazanna shouted. Even at a foot tall, she could manipulate the speakers in the room to make her voice booming. "Captain, listen to me. The Jiralhanae will look to you for leadership, with the chieftain's absence. You can choose to act like a child, or stay strong." She sighed. "Tell the Arbiter what you told me." After the pause, she said again, "Tell him what you told me, captain."

Like the chieftain, like any of the Jiralhanae, the captain could not look the Arbiter directly in the eye. He looked to the side. He looked to the roof. Or he pressed his chin into his chest and looked down at his feet. "When they took our chieftain, I ordered a Kig-Yar to slip beneath the vehicle. We distracted the Demon, while he slipped under. We are waiting for him to activate his tracking device, once he reaches their base."

"After the casualties these rebels have sustained, this could be a chance to purge the galaxy of their taint," the Arbiter noted.

The captain shrugged uncomfortably, now looking to the side, down to Kazanna. She started to speak for him. "For some reason, they took the chieftain alive rather than execute him on the spot. We can only assume that they took him for interrogation, which gives us time to rescue him. Rescuing the chieftain should be our primary concern. Which is why I asked you to come here. We know where these rebels are, or, we have a way to know where they will be. But if we attack en masse, they will execute the chieftain before we are even at their gates."

"And who are blessed with stealth greater than the Sangheili?" the Arbiter said softly. He turned to Herculus. "Tell your Jiralhanae that your chieftain will be rescued. If I fail in this mission, I will offer my life as penitence. Now if you will excuse me, I will organize my team. As soon as your agent activates his tracking device, please let me know."

XXX

The main base of the rebels was not one that had been made prior to the Human-Covenant War. It was one that had been made after, and so its existence was not in any human records. It was underground, one floor and rather primitive, more a bunker than a real base, but here, the rebels felt safe. The Spartan drove the Warthog down into the underground tunnel and quickly got off, as did his smaller subordinates. He walked around to the side of the vehicle, checked their Jiralhanae prisoner, before striking him across the jaw, just to be sure. He hefted the chieftain up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and started deeper into the base, followed by the two smaller Spartans.

It was a long time before Iza stopped gripping the underside of the Warthog so tightly. He was so terrified the entire time they were moving that he would pass out and fall beneath the tires of the Warthog. The Jiralhanae had quickly fitted him with ties and latches to connect to the underside, and when they stopped the first time he had managed to properly attach himself, but he was still so scared he had clung. It took a lot to extract himself from the bottom of the vehicle. His hands were shaking so much, he couldn't undo the latches. He took the blade the chieftain had given him and cut himself out, and fell hard onto the ground. He was cold and stiff. For the colder climate, everyone under the chieftain's command had started wearing heavier human clothing. The thermal underclothes and gloves and socks had probably spared him from hyperthermia, but he still needed a time to collect himself.

He reached into his pocket and took out the homing beacon. With a turn of the top, he activated it, or at least he hoped he did. Iza placed it down on the ground, and crawled out from under the Warthog. The humans could call Jiralhanae Brutes all they want, but that had been quick thinking on the captain's behalf. Iza wasn't particularly happy that he had been chosen for this mission, but it really was clever.

The area was clear. Iza held himself close, whimpering softly. So damn cold…

Captain Herculus had told him that once he had reached the base, he was to stay put. Captain Herculus was afraid that Iza would screw up and alert the humans to his presence. Iza looked over the Warthog and to the hallway and door that the Spartan had gone through, the door that the chieftain had gone through…

He could stay here and…what was that thing the humans said? Wait for the cavalry to arrive. Would they even come? What if the humans had only been faking a retreat, and they had wiped out the others at the camp? Iza did not see the end of the battle. What if…what if he was all that was left. What if no one would come to save the chieftain. And Iza was so exhausted. Maybe he could just find someplace to curl up and try to recuperate. He was cold and so tired. There was no feeling in his arms left after clinging to the vehicle's underside. Panting and desperate, he tried to stand, but suddenly collapsed to the ground. "No…" he whimpered, before passing out.

XXX

Exilius woke with a loud roar and groan, as a surge ran through his body. He was seated, which confused him at first. He would expect to wake on his belly, in a cell. But no, he woke seated. His chin had been resting on his chest. His neck was aching, and it actually sent sharp pain through his spine when he tried to lift his heavy head. But he managed, and blinked before opening his eyes and looking around. The chair had been modified for his weight. His hands were tied behind his back, and then a chain was caught around his neck, connected to his arms, leaving him to choke if he moved too much. His legs were bound together, and then bound to the chair. His stomach was wrapped tight to keep him from catching a deep breath, and his ribs were wrapped tight to ensure a consistent bit of pain through him. A growl escaped his lips. This wasn't the work of an amateur. This wasn't even the work of a professional, since a professional wouldn't have thought of tying his legs together _and_ to the chair with _separate_ chains to make getting out nearly impossible, or tightening his diaphragm so he couldn't breathe right. This was the work of someone who knew exactly how to stop a Jiralhanae from moving, who knew how to counter a Jiralhanae's brute strength.

Exilius saw one of the smaller Spartans holding two wires. They must have been used to shock the Jiralhanae awake. The larger Spartan stood behind the smaller. Exilius growled and lunged forward, but a sharp snap of the chain that yanked on his sore throat left him growling lowly.

"Each question I ask, increase the voltage by 100," the Spartan said.

"Yes, sir," the smaller Spartan said.

The Spartan looked to Exilius. "Listen to me Brute, you answer my questions, and I just put a bullet through your head. No pain, and you can go rush off to meet your ancestors. But if you want to play that bullshit and stay strong, it's going to get messy."

Exilius leaned forward, and despite the aching in his throat, he let a long roar out. He was met with a punch across the jaw from the Spartan, and his roar was replaced by laughter. The Spartan gripped Exilius by the jaw and lifted his head up. "Who is leading the human traitors?" he asked.

Exilius snarled, and the human tightened his grip on the jawbone. "What made them betray Earth?"

The chieftain looked up to the Spartan. "They're not the ones breaking Hood's orders, Demon. You pathetic scum."

Exilius had never been hit as hard as the Spartan hit him right then. Exilius' brain actually felt rattled, but he had no time before a grip found his throat and pushed him back. The chieftain's eyes widened. For the first time, he felt fear. He felt intense fear like never before, because he felt that the Spartan was going to kill him. Exilius had faced death in the battle, but adrenaline pumped so much he never really noticed it until after the fact, and after the fact, what was the harm? Now, in a calm setting, it was somehow different. And he didn't like staring into the Spartan's reflective visor.

"Don't taint the admiral's memory," the Spartan hissed.

Exilius wretched his head away and snarled. "Are you even more stupid than the other humans?"

"Who is the top of this rebel faction? Who is leading you?"

Exilius stared. "The orders for the general to come to this planet came from Lord Hood you fucking…!" Exilius' eyes started hazing over, and he struggled against the chains even more. With adrenaline came the reckless anger and disregard for the pain.

The taller Spartan looked to the smaller. "Shock him until he tells the truth."


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

Iza woke some time later, in much the same way Exilius had. Granted, he wasn't shocked away, but he woke up startled and frightened, hissing and snarling and looking around. But still, the garage was empty. No soldiers would be coming into the garage because no one was to leave the base. After the casualties suffered procuring the Jiralhanae, there wouldn't be any more operations for a time.

Iza checked on the tracking device, still under the jeep. The only problem was he had no fucking clue how to tell if it was on or not, or if it was broken. He sighed, setting it under the jeep again and praying for the best. "I need to find the chieftain," he decided. He still had his pistol and knife, but how quickly Herculus had grabbed him, he didn't have a chance to grab his carbine. But he couldn't stay here. "Ancestors be with me," he said softly. "Seriously, please, ancestors be with me."

Iza walked over to the door. He checked over his pistol again, and finding it was working, slipped through the door. The first hallway out of the garage was empty. Iza sighed and caught his breath. "Alright…just gotta…"

When he heard the sound of talking and shuffles, he quickly ran down the hall as quietly as he could. When he came to a turn that was quiet, he ducked and pressed against the corner. By how the voices were farther down the hall, it seemed there were four humans. They were complaining about dragging something heavy. Something heavy. Something heavy…

"Oh no," Iza muttered, peeking around the corner in time to see Exilius being dragged along the ground. Iza clenched his beak to suppress a whimper.

He let out his breath when they mentioned the brig, not the crematorium. That meant that Exilius was alive. Corner to corner, Iza followed the four humans. The base seemed to be nearly empty, though given the mostly failed blitzkrieg that was understandable. Finally, all four ducked into one of the rooms. Iza pressed against the corner, waiting breathlessly for the humans to come out. And when he heard the door whizz and the feet retreat further down the hall, he waited. Peeking around, he finally saw the coast was clear, and started down the hallway.

The door had no real locks to keep people out. This base was entirely makeshift and seemed still fresh in many ways. Perhaps the ancestors were watching over him, since he doubted he would be able to hack into a human's door panel. But no, it was just a regular door that slid into the wall. Iza took a soft breath and walked into the room, gun level with his eye.

There were four cells, and only one had an active fourth wall. And in that, he found Exilius. "Chieftain," Iza gasped, trying to walk out to him but being blocked by the boundary. Iza tapped the wall and it dissipated, and he easily walked inside. "Chieftain…what happened?"

In a desperate bid to escape the tortue, Exilius had pretended to pass out. He had stayed limp as the humans dragged him, but hearing the voice, opened his eyes. "Iza, what are you doing here? Did they capture you?"

"No, I…it's a long story. But I'm here. I activated a homing beacon. Herculus will be here soon. Exilius, what did they do to you?"

"They shocked me," Exilius said. "My muscles are shot. You have to get out of here. If they find you, they'll kill you."

"No chieftain, I'm not leaving you."

"Iza, I can't move. Get out of here."

"No!" Iza shouted. "No, fuck if I'm going to lose the one fucking commander I actually give a shit about. We're just going to stay and wait for Herculus."

Exilius growled. "Feel lucky I can't lift my arms or I would brain you for stupidity." He sighed. "At least activate the barrier. We can still talk, but if you have to hide when they come back in, you'll be safe."

Iza took the knife off his belt and offered it to Exilius, who gave a low growl. "Never give up one of your weapons. Ever."

"Fine Chieftain." Iza sighed, and stepped out of the cell. He activated the fourth wall, and watched it rise to separate the two. "But I'm staying here."

XXX

Spartans always had their own quarters. It was just an unspoken rule. If a base was blessed enough to have a Spartan visit, they were given the best room in the base, no matter how much the Spartan protested. The present base, the base without a designation or a name, was no exception. The base had been made just recently, beneath the very snow of the planet, but it had been built well and sturdy and there were quarters and a mess hall, an armory and proper ventilation. The Spartan-II and the squad of Spartan-IIIs that went with him had their own room each. Anastasia B039, or Mongrel as was her callsign, daintily made her way into her quarters. Having a ration can under her arm that would last her the night, she was content to now go into her private area and stay alone, but upon stepping in, she found someone already there.

Gunnery Sergeant Nick-047 sat on the bed. His helmet was off and beside him, which meant Mongrel didn't immediately recognize who he was. She was so used to the mask. Spartans rarely removed their armor, even in private, so it struck her as odd. Mongrel at first assumed that the Spartan had desired her room instead of his, and was going to go into one of the vacant rooms when the Spartan cleared his throat. "You ever wonder why we're here?"

Mongrel looked to him.

"I mean, here. In this unit. They picked me up right after Reach. They evaced me. And since then, I've served General Hutchinson without question. When we came to this planet and started building this base, started planning for this attack, I never once questioned him. I didn't even question who the enemies were. When he said Earth was destroyed, when he said we're the only ones left and he's off in some satellite hiding out, I didn't question him for a moment.

"Why would that Brute tell me the truth? He could easily lie; say something that he knows will get me rattled. Start making me question if I can trust anyone. But when was the last time you used a radio, Mongrel? When was the last time I? We've been on this planet for years now, hiding from the Covenant. And yet, the general manages to warn us before the Covenant even arrives. If, the Covenant came out of the sky one day…like Reach. But we knew they were coming.

"Mongrel, what I ask you to do is a direct violation of the orders that the general has passed. If you refuse to do it, I will not hold it against you. Hell, if you want to turn me in, I won't blame you. But if you want to trust me, I need you and Wolvy to go out to one of our other bases. They're all abandoned, so you shouldn't have any resistance. Head into one of the bases, get to the radio room, and…I know this sounds crazy, but see if you can contact Earth."

XXX

"I like your arms," Exilius said. He had gained the strength to sit up, and was leaning forward slightly, watching Iza through the barrier. Iza, seated, looked to the tattoos that covered his arms and smiled slightly.

"Thanks. Needles scare the crap out of me to be honest, but I think it was worth it. Chicks dig the tattoos. Once we get out of this, I'm going to get a nice mate, and fuck her till she turns blue." Iza cawed out a laugh, an odd sound but one that Exilius didn't much mind.

"You can get out of this now," the chieftain said.

Iza shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere without you. Herculus will kill me if I come up without you. He'll call me a coward as he tears off my head. I've lived this long, I'm not about to die now."

Exilius sighed, and leaned back. "You're a fool. I'm as good as dead. The next time they come in, they'll put me down. I would lie to them, but I don't even know what they want to hear."

"You told them what they wanted?" Iza asked, which earned a furious laugh from Exilius.

"I told them the truth. They didn't want to hear it though. These humans are delusional fools. They've been in the war so long they can't even remember what peace looks like. They think…they think Lord Hood is dead and Earth is glassed. By the rings, were we ever this delusional?"

"Jiralhanae?" Iza snickered. "Yeah, you guys were pretty lost. Honestly, how could you ever trust someone like Truth?"

"Because he offered equality to us. He offered a chance to rise past the boundaries that the Sangheili had placed upon us. It was a wonderful hope."

"That why you took me as a lieutenant? You're some sort of post modern, counter culture Brute without a glass ceiling?"

"No, I took you as a lieutenant because I can't shoot long range. And you're a good shot. And you're not completely retarded."

Iza looked down at his pistol clenched in his hand. "Thanks for noticing."

XXX

There were six Sangheili in total. And the Phantom skimmed over the snowy earth, low enough that no radar or anti-air defenses would quickly notice them. They would still stop a fair bit away from the homing beacon for fear that some human spy would be camped in the ground, but they made good time. The Arbiter ordered the Phantom to be set down. He activated his camo, as did the other Sangheili. Walking out of the back of the Phantom, only their heavy steps could be seen sinking into the thick snow.

Within the base, Nick-047 stood outside the door to the brig. Arms were crossed, and helmeted face stared intently at the door, as if the answers to his questions should pop out at him magically. He opened the door briefly, half way, sighed, and then stood back, closing it. He paused a moment, and tried opening the door again, but after his hand touched the sides he retracted like it had burned him.

"Gunnery sergeant," said one of the white ODSTs coming down the hallway. Coming before the Spartan, he assumed a salute, which was returned by Nick-047. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Nick-047 said. "Just thinking. I'm glad you're here. I would like to further interrogate the prisoner. I could use some back up"

"I'm sorry sir, were you not made aware of the general's orders?"

Nick-047 looked to the smaller human. "No, what was his message?"

"I informed him that we managed to take one of the targets alive. He ordered the animal executed."

"Why?" Nick-047 asked dumbly.

"It's a Brute sir. We kill Brutes. It's like our job."

"No, why would we execute a chieftain? We should at least keep him for a time longer, see if he can be used for information."

"I'm sorry, gunnery sergeant, but my orders are to execute the Brute. Unless you would like to."

Nick-047 shook his head. "No, you do it." He turned, and headed down the hallway. The ODST grinned and headed through the door. He was carrying an SMG, suppressed, not that he would need it now and he had the thought of taking the attachment off. No sense in wearing the suppressor down, but he didn't feel like breaking his ear drums either, and he always thought that the suppressor helped to manage the recoil.

"Hey Mr. Kilo, I got a present for you." He casually came to the cell, to see the Brute pressed up against the fourth wall. "Yeah, I suppose the moment I open this up, you're going to be on me, huh? I can get a good few shots off, but I can't hit anything too important in that time. Oh, but wait? What if I do this?"

He set some sort of charge onto the wall, and then backed away, lifting his SMG to his eye. Exilius looked to the charge through the transparency, confused, but realizing what it was attempted to stumble back. He was too slow, and the charge, and the fourth wall, exploded. It was the shockwave that damaged Exilius, the force of which sent him careening into the back wall of the cell. He slumped down, leaving a very large dent in the packed ice and snow. He roared, feeling something broken, and roared all the louder when the human opened fire, peppering him with shots. Exilius rolled onto his side, and curled up to protect his head from the blistering shots. "Yeah, not so big now," the human muttered. "Go to hell. And while you're going, beg for the forgiveness of all the lives you've taken."

When he heard a scream behind him, he didn't immediately turn around. His mind registered the Brute as the primary threat, and he would never turn his back on a Brute. But when he felt a sudden slash across his back, he went rigid, pointing the SMG up and firing a dozen suppressed shots into the ceiling. He turned, lowering his SMG, but a swift slash from the blade the Kig-Yar was holding lopped off his hand at the wrist. He screamed, looking down at the stump, blood spraying out of his open wound.

The Kig-Yar, with a scream of his own, cut the ODST across the middle. The blade went straight through his armor and cause a bright splash of blood out of his torso. Crimson sprayed onto the white uniform, and the body fell to the ground. Iza kept hacking and slashing, opening gashes and wounds over the body, until it fell to the ground and Iza fell as well, stabbing furiously.

It was a time before Iza stopped to catch his breath. He panted and gasped, looking down at the blooded and mutilated corpse before him. He looked up to Exilius, covering in crimson and gore, but a slight grin on his face. "You're right, chieftain," he said, lifting his knife. "This thing is a force."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Our first objective is the chieftain," the Arbiter said through the open channel to his soldiers. "Priya, he is your objective. Find him, and protect him."

"Yes Arbiter," came the feminine voice.

"The rest of you are with me. Spread out through the base. Upon Priya's single, we engage the enemy and slaughter them where they stand. Spread out, my brothers and sisters, and spill the blood of vengeance for our fallen."

There was a soft sound of assertion from the warriors. The Sangheili were stealthy creatures, and knew not to give a battle cry after they had already breached the human's security, but they could not resist some vocal show of power. Perhaps the most frightening thing was how easy it was to infiltrate the base. There were no cameras or security. They feared that the humans had some sort of advanced security that the Sangheili had never encountered, and the humans were aware of their presence. It did not matter, in the end. There was an objective at hand.

They had walked a long, long way to avoid any anti-air measures or spy turrets. They had come from so far, they had actually found a discarded pile of the chieftain's distinct green armor, and his precious hammer. Priya carried that hammer on her back as she slipped down the hallway, accompanied by two other warriors. The truth was, they had no idea where the brig might be, and it would take precious time to even find it. They were quiet, moving corner to corner, and when they came to a cross path, one of the warriors broke away. And when they came to another, another warrior broke away, until it was Priya alone.

She was a stealth operative, not a combat operative, so her camouflage was by far the best. It was enough that when two humans came stumbling and running down the hallway, she could press against the wall and they didn't notice her. She was going to continue on her way and ignore them, when she began to wonder why humans would be running in their own base. There had been no warning from her brothers, so it seemed doubtful one of them had been discovered and the humans were running to engage in a shootout. The only other reason she could fathom involved the chieftain, and assumed they would reach the brig with time.

Instead, she followed them to one of the storage areas. This base must have been well stocked as the last defense, for the storage room had any numbers of containers and boxes inside. "The Brute is in here sir," one of the small humans said to the Demon. Priya swallowed and stared intently at the Demon. She had heard reports that there was one amongst these rebels, but she was somehow surprised to see him. She bit back a growl and just stared at the creature, and the miniature humans that surrounded it. But she had orders, and she had a duty. She could not engage in this Demon. Even if she could kill him, the other humans would be upon her. And then who could be there for the chieftain?

"I'm going in," the Demon said. "Stay behind me, don't engage the Brute until I give the say so. Do you understand that? Don't engage."

"Yes sir."

The Spartan drew the two pistols from his leg holsters and stepped inside.

XXX

With one of the guards dead, it would not be long until more came to the brig to finish Exilius off. His only option would be to attempt to escape. He and Iza had stumbled through the base, but Exilius, weak as he was, was easy to track. And so, they came to a storage area.

"Here they come," Iza said, peeking out from the cover of a box towards the back of the room. He lifted his pistol to his eye. "I think I can put one between the Demon's eyes."

"Don't," Exilius said. He had been sitting, catching his breath, and after saying that he stood up. "Stay behind me."

"Chieftain, you can barely stand up. You're too badly hurt."

"They haven't seen you yet. If the Demon catches us, we will both be put down."

"So what do you intend to do? Talk your way out?"

"I'll try fighting. Give me your knife."

Iza groaned, but reached behind him and took the knife off his belt. He took the blade in his claw and pushed the handle towards Exilius. Exilius placed the weapon along his left forearm, and kept it in place with one of his fingers. He twisted his hand, so it was hidden from immediate view. Then he stepped out from behind cover and gave a loud roar.

There were any numbers of clicks and cocks of weaponry, but the Spartan lifted his hand to stop the shots. "You're fucking insane," Iza muttered, slouching down against the cover. He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear what would come next.

"Brute," the Spartan shouted. "Put your hands in the air, lower to your knees and you will not be shot. But try anything cute and I'll drop you."

Exilius twisted his hand, bringing the knife to his fingers. He pushed himself to the side and threw the blade. Nick-047 saw the blade glisten through the air, and by ducking, he avoided the sharp edge of the blade. He lifted his pistols and fired into the charging Brute. His men, against his orders, did the same, and the Brute was peppered with several shots. But momentum and bloodlust carried the chieftain forward and into the squad of men, knocking them down and back.

Nick-047 was first to recover of course. "Hold your fire," he shouted, rolling to his feet to avoid a punch. Exilius' hand instead broke into the floor. He lifted his hands in a combat stance, as Nick did the same. "Do not engage the Brute," he shouted at the men. "Do not engage the Brute or you will have me to answer to."

Exilius threw several quick punches, and though Exilius was fast for a Jiralhanae, Nick-047 had sparred with other Spartans, who could throw jabs much faster. He found it relatively easier to bob and weave between the blows, because it was the power of a Jiralhanae that one had to be concerned with. He avoided any number of attacks, until one of the crosses caught him in the helmet. Spartans may be faster, but they certainly weren't stronger, and he felt his brain rattle. He stumbled back, off his feet, and was open to another punch into the stomach that lifted him off the ground.

He stumbled back, rolling to his side when the Jiralhanae threw himself forward and tried to stomp him into the ground. Nick-047 was on his feet a moment, coiling, before he launched himself into the Jiralhanae and tackled him around the middle. Exilius fought and clawed furiously, snapping his jaws and throwing clenched fists. Nick-047 avoided the stunning blows, but growing more and more annoyed, finally punched a fist into the Jiralhanae's snout. Exilius, in turn, leaned up and smashed his forehead against Nick-047's visor, cracking the reflective sheen. But, truth be told, it took more out of the exhausted Jiralhanae than the human. Exilius fell to his knees.

Nick-047 reached his hands down and wrapped them around the Jiralhanae's neck. He pushed his thumbs down into the mass of throat, when the Jiralhanae brought and fist up and pressed his own thumbs into the cracked sheen of the visor. Nick-047 pushed, until he felt his face start to pop and pushed himself back. He stomped a foot down onto the Brute's unarmored belly, before leaping a few steps back. "Shotgun!" he shouted, and one of his subordinates tossed him the weapon. Nick-047 lifted the weapon to his eye, staring at the Brute who got to his feet, but sensing the danger did not press the attack. Exilius was panting and bleeding from the shallow gunshots. His fur was matted and grimy. Bones in his face may have been broken from some blow, and he was holding his chest.

Nick-047 cringed, tilting his head oddly to the side then exhaling a deep breath. He touched his ear, still holding the shotgun, but mind visibly somewhere else. Exilius actually thought of charging, but that would equate suicide. Finally, the Spartan lowered his shotgun. "All units, stand down."

The other humans in the room did not take those orders, and stood on guard, fingers inching towards the triggers.

"I said, stand down. Chieftain, there is no way for me to quickly explain this, but my men and I have been deceived. We were led to believe that things were much, much different than they are. One of my agents traveled to a distant base and has contacted Lord Hood. It would seem that you were right. By god, I cannot begin to explain what has happened, but I surrender to you and your forces. And I will come quietly. As will all of my men."

With the Spartan talking, Exilius had gotten back to his feet and assumed a fighting stance. In his experience, humans would feign defeat by retreating, for it only to be a trick and them to regroup. But this seemed much different, particularly since the Demon was winning the fight, and could easily have killed him. The Demon actually lowered to one knee and presented his shotgun, grip first. Exilius snatched the weapon up, and passed his gaze from Spartan to the other white ODSTs who had yet to lower their aim. One of the ODSTs, armed with a suppressed submachine gun lifted his weapon and fired. Exilius was hit three times in the chest before he lifted his weapon and fired back.

"Stand down!" Nick-047 shouted. "Stand down." Then the fire was turned on him.

XXX

"Let me just say how impressive your human chain of command is," Iza said aloud, though with how loud and echoing the sound of gunshots were, it was rather difficult to hear him. Iza held his two pistols, somehow staying calm despite the gunshots. He even managed to keep aim at the Spartan. More than once Iza thought that he should put a thick bullet through the cracked visor of the Spartan's helmet. The only thing that stopped him was that he hadn't been ordered to by Exilius. Of course, Exilius seemed more concerned with the humans who were shooting at them rather than the human who was slumped over, a bullet in his gut. The ODSTs had actually shot their precious Demon and wounded him. The Spartan had managed to get behind the cover that the chieftain and the marksmen hid behind, while Exilius shot blast after blast of the shotgun at the hostile men and white. Iza sighed. "Sangheili and Jiralhanae making friends, human mediators, living dead Demons. What is it about this planet, the water?"

Then there were shouts, and the gunfire slowed to a halt. Iza kept his pistols trained on the Spartan, though looked to Exilius to know what had happened. Exilius stepped out from behind cover. "Priya," he said. "What are you doing here?"

The Spartan stood back up. His armor had mended the damage to his stomach, for now at least. Without the chieftain at his back, and the Spartan now healed, Iza's fickle bravery started to melt away. But he gritted his beak and held the pistol, doing his best not to shiver and tremble visibly.

"Well, you dropped this, and I wanted to give it back," she said with a soft voice, as she took the Gravity Hammer off her back and passed it to him. He took it graciously. "I am part of the Arbiter's strike team," Priya said. "We came to rescue the great Jiralhanae commander, whose bravery kept the Arbiter himself safe." She smiled but looking behind the chieftain's great form. "Demon…"

"Yes," Iza said. Will broken, he scurried to the safety of the two much larger creatures. "Can we kill him, please?"

The Spartan didn't quite step out from behind cover. His arms were behind his head in a non-hostile gesture. But just as a disarmed Jiralhanae was still a brute could tear off most creature's heads off, even an unarmed Demon was not something to be taken lightly. "I…" the Spartan started. "I am Gunnery Sergeant Nick-047. I have urgent information for the commander of the human forces on this planet. I surrender to your custody willingly, and will not resist in any way. Though, if you like, you can knock me unconscious." He looked to Priya, who tensed her grip on her sword. "I also have urgent information for your commander. Your commander must initiate a complete withdrawal from this base. If your men are discovered, this base can be remotely self destructed by the base's commander. If you attempt to take it, or engage in a fight, you'll be killed. If they realize this is an attack en mass and not a petty prison break of one lone Jiralhanae, they'll have no hesitance. Please, you have to trust me. I'm unarmed and have not shown any hostilities…and you can shoot me right now. But I don't want any more innocent blood on my hands. Please, please, withdraw your men, even if you glass this from the safety of space."

"This could be a trick," Exilius growled.

"Chieftain," Priya said. "We can take him back to the base, and the Arbiter can chose his fate."

Exilius growled at the female. "Iza, keep a gun trained on him. Priya, tell the Arbiter what he told us. We will regroup."

Priya nodded, and touched the radio in her ear.


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17_

The halls were mostly silent, but Priya took point. Active camouflage on, she stalked hallways to hallway. If the passage was safe, Iza, the Spartan, and Exilius would follow; in that order. If the passage was not clear, Priya would either stay perched and wait for the humans to move on or execute them with a swift cut of her blade. It did not take long, and soon enough they were outside, back in the snow. Exilius kept the shotgun trained on the Spartan. Though the Spartan still did not do anything hostile, Exilius would not be taking chances. Every part of him wanted to execute the Spartan, but he had to keep calm. If the Spartan could be used as a hostage, for interrogation. He was too valuable to execute wantonly.

At last, when they were a fair distance from the human base, Exilius smashed his shotgun into the back of the Spartan's skull. Exilius squatted down, checking his pulse, and finding him alive, hit him again to be sure he was knocked unconscious. The air around them suddenly shivered, and the Arbiter and his warriors came out of their cloaking, weapons brandished. They were eager to kill the Spartan as much as the chieftain, but sharp glares from the Arbiter held their blades.

"Is everyone clear of the base?" Priya asked.

The Arbiter stared fixated on the Spartan. "Yes Priya. Everyone has made it clear of the base. We had not yet begun our purge, when you contacted us. If what you said was true, it is for the best." He walked to the Spartan, glaring down at him.

"The Spartan said he must speak with the commander of the human forces," Priya continued. "As well as the Lord Hood. This may be an elaborate trick, or he may be sincere. Your thoughts, Arbiter?"

"Many of our brother have been killed by these rebel forces," the Arbiter hissed. "Why should we not believe this is a trap?"

"He surrendered willingly," Exilius said. "If you do not want to risk him, then I and my Jiralhanae will. He is my prisoner, not yours."

The Arbiter growled softly, before hissing an order to one of his subordinates. The Special Forces Operative walked forward, and secured a pair of energy bindings on the Spartan's wrists, behind his back. Such were designed to restrain Jiralhanae, so they would certainly hold the Demon's strength. They continued by securing his legs, and then four of them hoisted him up.

"Pilot," the Arbiter said. "The Chieftain has been liberated. We need immediate pick up at the rendezvous point. Contact the main ships as well. Have this base destroyed from orbit, quickly, before the vermin dig any deeper into the earth or move to another base."

"Yes sir," the pilot said. The Arbiter gestured, and the troops began huffing through the thick snow. Exilius didn't like this. Priya, bless Priya, she had brought him his hammer and he felt safe holding it the entire time. But he was without his armor, and surrounded by the Sangheili who still were not officially allies. There was the Arbiter, the Arbiter who was the scourge of all Loyalist forces, perhaps even more than any Demon, because they understood what the Arbiter was, who he was. Of course, there was also the Demon. What powers or strength they held? Was this a trap, and he had the strength to pop the bindings like they were nothing? Was he even unconscious? Or just pretending. Exilius did not know, but he gripped the hammer a bit tighter. Iza was at his side.

There were such glares when they entered the base. The Sangheili, the humans, the Jiralhanae, had settled into a fairly balanced truce. They were not buddy-buddy, but they were going about the base, making repairs, digging trenches, preparing the rations, melting snow for water for cleaning. When the humans laid eyes upon one of their coveted Demons, they dropped whatever they were doing and approached the dropship. The Jiralhanae and Sangheili did the same, only they carried guns and blades and emotions were not of reverence.

Exilius, the Arbiter, and several of the Arbiter's subordinates met the coming creatures with firm words and stiff posteriors. Two of the Arbiter's other men dragged the Spartan into the base. The Arbiter was quick to follow after, leaving Exilius and a few warriors to hold the tides. By grace of the gods, the warriors felt enough reverence for the chieftain and the Arbiter's personal guard that they didn't attempt anything. But already the camp was abuzz with chatter about the Spartan in their ranks.

XXX

General Roberts stood at a strict salute as the Spartan came into the "war room", located deep inside the Forerunner's structure, and as such, the most secure place on the planet. It was difficult to penetrate into the base that deep, and at the same time, it would be the hardest for the Spartan to escape from, should this prove a trick. There were several Sangheili and Jiralhanae and even some human elites who were armed with shotguns and silenced SMGs. They were ODST soldiers, each of them. The only thing that separated them from the enemy in the snow was the color of their armor.

The Spartan sighed. "Sir, you are of a higher rank than I. You don't have to salute me, it's the other way around."

"I'm sure you can understand, Spartan, how much of an honor this is for me. But let's get the basics out of the way. I am Lieutenant-General Rutherford Roberts."

"I am Gunnery Sergeant Nick-047. I'm sorry to ask, but how long have I been unconscious? I take it the Brute didn't pull his punch."

"Only a few hours. It's amazing your even alive, let alone conscious. You truly are super soldiers. The Arbiter said that you wished to surrender to my person, directly?"

"Yes sir, that is correct. I have relinquished my arms, and I will relinquish my armor if I can have the aid of one of the machines."

"That won't be necessary, gunnery sergeant. If you wanted to kill someone, I'm sure you would have by now. So, it seems your intent is sincere. As you can see, your presence has attracted the attention of ONI. Gunnery sergeant, this is Major Teresa Lang, ONI liaison for this mission."

Nick-047 had removed his helmet out of respect. The glint and snarl of his features was subtle, but both humans in the room took note. "How long has she been a part of this…operation? What is this operation anyway?"

Roberts sighed. "This operation is a…we're trying to devise a treaty. Build some sort of groundwork for something bigger. I'm not Lord Hood and Exilius isn't the warchieftain. But we're at least trying to set the ground work." He sighed. "This entire operation was kept on a need to know basis. Lang was only told what this operation was after she was on the ship coming here, just like everyone else."

"Has she been sending regular reports to ONI?"

"I am standing right here, gunnery sergeant," Teresa said. "I can answer your questions. No, I have not been, as were Lord Hood's orders. At the end of these talks, I'm going to write up a report to give to ONI. I have been taking notes on this operation, but I have not sent anything out, if you're implying what I believe you are."

"Gunnery sergeant, please explain what is happening." The general adjusted a camera on the desk.

"My name is Gunnery Sergeant Nick-047. I was part of the Spartan-II super soldier program, of the UNSC. I have to admit, I'm not actually sure of anything that has transpired in recent times. I was on Reach when the Covenant attacked, and I was nearly killed. Not like Spartans usually almost get killed, I was shot in the head by a beam rifle, and was knocked unconscious. I wouldn't wake up for almost two months later, and I found myself under the command of General Washington Hutchinson. He…was the commander of whatever humans were left, at least that's what I was always told. But, all I saw of him in recent times has been over radio contact."

"General Washington Hutchinson, also known as Washington Hutchinson, Director of ONI special operations." Roberts suddenly drew his pistol, aiming for Teresa, who seemed genuinely surprised by the sudden hostility. "You fucking little bitch. I've been racking my brain how this all happened. How did those terrorists know it was this planet. And why it took them time. Why they didn't just attack us when we came down. Because they had to arrive here. You didn't know where we were headed until we set down. You had to call them, and then they came, and then this all started."

"General, you can't possibly believe this…he's a traitor! Do you really believe that he didn't know anything?"

"I know how stupid that sounds," the Spartan said, with a soft sigh. "But hey, that's what a soldier is, isn't it? We take orders, we execute them. We don't ask questions. For the past…I don't know how long, but we've just been killing monkeys and squids. Then we were told about this meeting. A rebel faction of humans were going to sell the last stronghold of humanity's location to the monkeys and squids in exchange for being their pets when they conquer our last colonies. It seemed legitimate."

"Hands behind your head," the general ordered.

"This is all a trick!" Teresa shouted. "You can't possibly be this stupid! He let himself be captured just to say this! He's turning us against each other!"

The general wretched Teresa's arm behind her back and held her at bay, as he ordered the guards in. They came, and quick enough, Teresa was bound properly and taken off to the brig.


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter 18_

General Roberts walked through the halls of the Forerunner base, trying his best to navigate the beautiful…if a bit intimidating, architecture. It didn't help that, up until now, the Jiralhanae had been rather adamant about it being their find. They refused to let anyone, human, Sangheili, or even Unggoy, behind their perimeter and into their last line of defense. For a sacred structure, the Jiralhanae seemed to have no problem converting it into a war bunker. There were sandbags and scavenged pieces of a dropship's hull, all to slow an advancing enemy or provide cover for defenders. And there were lots and lots of stored weapons and rations, enough that if the Jiralhanae had to, they could just seal the doors and last quite a while inside.

The chieftain had been moved here, for his safety while in his weakened state. If a Sangheili even seemed to be approaching the Forerunner base, he was swiftly dealt with several growls and sometimes punches and kicks from the Jiralhanae guards outside. Even the female Sangheili who seemed to share some sort of relationship with the chieftain was not allowed near. But human doctors and medics were let in to treat the chieftain's wounds, and the human general was let in because he insisted it was urgent. The Jiralhanae did not like the idea, but after they stripped him of weapons they assumed he could do no harm.

The general finally found the area where the chieftain was recuperating. Standing outside the door had to be two of the biggest Jiralhanae in the universe. One, the general recognized as Herculus, Exilius's second in command. It was Herculus who, rather roughly, shook Roberts and groped him, making sure there was nothing hidden in his uniform. Roberts let himself be manhandled. Soon enough he was put back down and was reluctantly let to pass. Oddly, there was no Jiralhanae in the room, just a human medic who was looking over the chieftain. The chieftain looked to be asleep at first glance, and by the loud snore that rumbled through the room. The general stifled a chuckle in the back of his throat. The chieftain was younger than others: his fur was still a deep brown. And…laying there…he looked like a big teddy bear. A BIG teddy bear, but a teddy bear none the less.

"Why aren't there any Jiralhanae in here, sergeant?" Roberts asked the medic.

"Beats the hell out of me. Nears as I can figure, they don't like seeing their chieftain in this debilitating state. You know when Lord Hood got hurt, no one went to visit. Something about seeing your idle so weak. So human…"

"How is the patient, then?"

"He's stable. You know how Brutes are built after all. He'll never play the violin again, but I think he'll be able to walk with time. But for now, he needs rest. I hope your business here isn't to have him go back out to the front lines. He'll do nothing save get himself killed." The medic looked over some of the medications, as if trying to seem busy when there really wasn't much more to do. "It's weird though. I've spent almost my whole life fighting them, and now I've got to take care of one. I don't know how this is going to feel, if the treaty does go full swing, you know, sir?"

"Yeah, I do." The general watched as the medic turned to look at the Brute. Roberts quickly wrapped his arm around the medic's throat in a common sleeper hold. The medic fought and struggled, like anyone would. The general just kept his grip firm. "Relax, relax. If I wanted to kill you, I would have used a wire. You know the drill, should be passing out…right…now…"

Roberts set the body on the ground. Two fingers checked the unconscious man's pulse, and finding it stable, Roberts hoisted the man over his shoulder. He carried him to one of the beds, set him down, and covered him with a white tarp. "I'm sorry sergeant, but you don't get to see this."

Roberts looked over the medical supplies, a lone finger tracing the tools, until he found a syringe. Taking it up, and a bottle of adrenaline, he filled the syringe, and walked to the Brute. He settled down and carefully felt for the Brute's heart in his bare chest. As with most creatures, the Brute's heart was roughly center. Roberts had heard rumors that Sangheili had multiple hearts, but it didn't seem like that was a feature on a Jiralhanae's body. He took a deep breath, getting ready. "I really hope I don't kill you," he said. This was all guess work. He knew what he would need to wake a man, but he wasn't sure tripling the dosage would do anything to something three times the size of a man. And of course, the other side would be it would have an effect, but end up killing the chieftain. He wasn't sure the adrenaline chemical would be accepted by the Jiralhanae's body. It might put his heart into shock. Never the less, he first secured the Brute's arms down to the table, and with a deep breath, jammed the syringe into his chest, doing his best to aim between the thick, strong ribs and layers of muscle. It seemed just as likely that the needle would snap.

By some miracle, the syringe made it in deep. Exilius came to life with a roar that sent the general down on his backside. "Chieftain!" he shouted. Exilius was thrashing and snarling, struggling with the braces at his arms that wouldn't hold him forever. Roberts climbed onto his chest, and took a scalpel off the table. He placed the scalpel at the chieftain's eye, and again shouted, "Calm down! It's me. It's me! I'm not going to hurt you. But you need to stop that."

Attracted by the roar, Herculus and the other Jiralhanae burst through the door. Roberts was quick in climbing off Exilius, but it still seemed likely the two Jiralhanae would rip him apart had Exilius not told them to leave. Heculus tried to protest, but Exilius again ordered him out. Exilius groaned, looking to the human. "What are you doing here?"

General Roberts kept hold of the scalpel. "The rebels, the white ODSTs, turns out they had a mole in this operation."

Exilius snorted mockingly. "Humans."

"Chieftain, I don't know how to say this, but I'm not really sure who I can trust anymore."

"So you come to me?" Exilius laughed.

The general sighed. "I'd like to think I've proven myself as trustworthy, to you. And, you have done the same for me. You guys need this treaty as much as humanity does, don't you? Take away the Covenant, and you guys don't even have rocketry. How long do you think your ships are going to last without someone to keep them going? And humanity needs some big strong XTs in the galaxy. Agree?"

Exilius growled deeply in his throat. It was a frightening noise, one that actually made the general shiver. "Yes."

"There's still hope for the treaty, chieftain. The Arbiter's heart is in it. You're heart is in it. And, I hate to say it, but many of my men are starting to warm up to you. It helps to have a common enemy. If not for the white ODSTs, we may have been at each other's throats instead of side by side. And, we got a lot of good stories about how human and Brute fought side by side to bring back to Earth."

"What are you getting at, commander?"

Roberts shook his head. "Sorry chieftain, trying to work this out for myself. I need your help, in a matter. I have been in communications with Lord Hood. The Spartan mentioned he was taking orders from a high ranking ONI official. ONI is all about cloak and daggers, it's not easy to trace contacts and messages made by ONI, but someone like Hood can manage. And Hood had discovered several…inconsistencies in ONI's reports."

"Human policing," Exilius growled.

"Its UNSC policy to leave ONI be. We don't like it, but it's how things are, so that they can work without clearance."

"Get to the point, commander."

"Sometimes ONI operatives need to be brought to heel. And sometimes, they need to be put down."

"I'm not able to fulfill any assassination. I'm otherwise incapacitated, as you can see."

"I'm aware of that chieftain. But I can't turn to my own men, or ONI's assassins. I thought of speaking to the Arbiter about something like this, but I fear his sense of honor will hinder him. So, that leaves me with you. Chieftain, I will make things clear for you. The director is semi-retired. He's an old man, but still holds a grip on all of ONI's operations. It's not impossible to think he could sway a couple soldiers to fill out the ranks of a private army, and talk to communications to glaze what this operation is all about. He lives on Earth, presently, and, his hand in this can never be discovered. He needs to be dealt with covertly. I need an assassin of your choosing, one that will not be discovered. If…if an alien is discovered killing one of ONI's top men, while that man is on Earth. There won't be any treaty. I need someone you know can do this. And, more than that, it can never, ever go outside of us."

Exilius sighed and nodded, groaning painfully. "I may have an operative in mind."

XXX

The men were not told what they were shipping. They were smugglers with licenses, used by the UNSC on occasion. Their gimmick was that they could transport anything, anywhere in the universe, and they had often managed to slip past Covenant patrols to rescue civilians from hot sectors. Although why they were shipping a large, inconspicuous box to Earth was confusing to them, they didn't ask questions. The money was good.

Their orders were to drop the crate, which was around fifteen by fifteen box, into an empty area of forest. It was an absolutely baffling job to the smugglers, but again, it was about the money that was now in their account. And General Roberts was a personal friend to them. He was a man who understood the greater good. That's why he had hired criminal and protected them from anti-smuggling laws, because throughout the war they had saved more civilians than Spartans had. If it hadn't been General Roberts, they may have thought they were smuggling for terrorists or something, but they trusted him. As ordered, the crate was left in the forest, and the dropship lifted into the air and flew away.

For a long time, the crate simply sat in the middle of the trees. Some birds took notice of it, and settled on it. Some passing animals sniffed at it, but let it be. After almost three hours, the crate finally rumbled, and a small opening at the front came to light. On all fours, Operative Priya Kanlaee climbed out. Wordless, she stood and stretched in the cooling, soon to be night air. She looked over her weapons: her sword on her back and a silenced human SMG on her thigh, as well as a few human made grenades. The latter two were not weapons she liked, but the mission outline demanded them. She sighed, and began the three day trek to her destination.

Every detail of the operation had been planned out. To Priya's knowledge, the only ones with full knowledge of what was happening was Priya herself and General Roberts. Lord Hood had authorized the assassination, and Exilius knew that she was taking part in it as did the Arbiter, but only she and the general knew every detail.

On a lonely stretch of Harvest, Roberts had met with Priya and briefed her on what she would expect. There was a genuine sadness in Robert's eyes, and a heaviness in his heart that he tried to hide. Priya could understand that. She had tried to help him, assured him that bloodshed would be kept to a minimum and the traitor would pass as peacefully as she could manage, despite him deserving much worse. That did not seem to help much though.

The director did not live in a lavish penthouse in the middle of a bustling metropolis, where women were delivered to him daily. He did not appear on talk shows to give his input about the treaties with the Sangheili or his thoughts on the Spartan-II project, which had been made public shortly after the start of the war, but was finally the subject on everyone's lips. The directors history in ONI kept him from ever talking about anything. Officially, he didn't exist. His house and all the property it was on was paid for by ONI under unofficial means. He was a high ranking man who received good treatment from his government, perhaps in gratitude for all he had done, perhaps because he knew where several bodies were buried.

Priya looked to the sky, taking a soft breath of air. Earth…she had never been on Earth before. It felt…normal. Almost like Sangheilos but a fair bit colder. She shivered, and activated her camouflage. It would be on for her entire stay on this planet. When the mission was done, she would walk all the way back to one of the UNSC's bases. She would climb into a dropship and find a dark corner to wait in. Then the dropship would fly up to Cairo Station. And then, she would sneak out, just in time to integrate with a group of Sangheili who were going to visit the station on diplomatic terms. Every action, every piece, needed to be handled with strict timing, which meant Priya would have to start walking.


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter 19_

"Golf-3, I have movement on the southern wall, check it out," said Alfa-1. Alfa-1, and indeed the entire Alfa team, was in the camera room, as was strict protocol. Shifts rotated every three hours, with Bravo team relieving Alfa, Charlie team relieving Bravo team, and so on. Then the guards spent six hours patrolling the grounds of the estate, and that was the end of their work shift. They were all ONI special forces, serving the director as their new duty since the war's end and the decline in need for military personnel.

"This is Golf-3, checking out the southern wall with Golf-2."

Alfa-1 stared at the screen, watching as the two black clad soldiers entered through the left side of the camera's vision. Alfa-1 rubbed his eyes. "I'm probably just tired," he said into the radio.

"You were out drinking again last night, John?" Golf-3 asked.

"I'm Tommy, John is Alfa-3 today."

"What's with the director rotating our handles?"

Alfa-1 sighed again. "Because he's a paranoid old man. Any sign of…anything?"

Golf-3 squatted down. "Some disturbed grass, but we patrol these grounds twenty four hours a day. Maybe Kevin stepped off the beaten path to take a leak. Looks fresh though. But, if you look hard enough you can see any inconsistency."

Alfa-1 rewound the visual of that area. He watched it, and saw nothing. Rewinding again, he saw what could have just been wind ruffle through the grass. He pondered that softly, before touching his radio. "Keep it tight people. Look for breaks on the grass, broken twigs. You know the patrols. Who's inside now?"

"Hotel Team," said Golf-3.

Alfa-1 adjusted his radio. "Hotel-1, come in. Hotel-1. This is Alf-1."

"Hey John," came Hotel-1. Of Chinese descent, he had a thick accent, though he had spent several years in a linguistics course to suppress it. By now, it was still present, but whenever someone talked to him they remembered their comical early encounters. This platoon had been together for several years, since the early start of the war. Although people had come and gone, and been killed and replaced, there were still a fair number of core members.

"This is Tommy," Hotel-1 said, slightly annoyed. "Any open doors, open windows inside the house?"

There was a slight pause, but eventually Hotel-1 came back onto the radio. "All doors are locked and no signs of tampering. Some of the windows are open, but we did that. No sign that anyone, or anything entered though. The windows are only open enough for cross ventilation. A Grunt couldn't have gotten through."

"Policy is not to open the windows. This is supposed to be a fortress."

"It's the director's request. Besides, what do you think, a 'leet could get its shoulders through the frame?"

"I don't put anything past the gators. Ever since we opened up Earth to them… Just stay frosty. Got a bad feeling in my gut. I'm going to go check on the director actually."

Alfa-1 took off his headset and set it down before the many monitors of the room. He took his magnum sidearm off the table, screwed a suppressor onto its muzzle, and set it into the holster on his leg. Walking out of the monitor room, he climbed up a flight of stairs, to the manor's second floor. Down a hallway, he finally approached the director's personal room. He knocked six times, in a specific rhythm, as was protocol. A moment later, he was buzzed through the locked door. Although the door looked to be simple wood, it was in fact several plates of steel, covered in a thin layer of wood only for aesthetic. The walls to the director's room were also the same plated steel. The windows were bullet proof, and in an emergency, shutters could be lowered just as thick as the walls. In essence, the entire room was a panic room, designed to keep attackers out. Even if one of the Covenant attacked, the defenses were strong enough to keep them at bay until better support could arrive. In theory at least. Of course, it had never been tested.

General Washington Bridge Hutchinson was an old man, and as such, was as frail and weak as any man his age had right to be. The total number of wounds he had sustained over the course of sixty-five years in service came to burn in old age. He was a fragile, decrypt man, a shell of his former self. He walked with a drastic limp, and when he limped, his hips popped and whined, and every few moments he almost stumbled off balance. Technically he had a right arm, but it was shriveled and lifeless beside him, and usually kept hung under his coat or robe, as it was considered disturbing to most of his visitors. Considering all his wounds and broken limbs, some would even call him monstrous.

But he was far from a monster, and Alfa-1 liked serving under him a great deal. "Director Hutchinson," he said, saluting.

"Tommy, relax. I'm no longer a director, technically at least."

"You're still a man of great prestige," Tommy said.

The director smiled, and showed that he was missing several teeth. His nose had been broken enough times, it was barely a nose at all. Just a lump of cartilage and skin that hung on his sagging face. "Did you make me get out of bed just to flatter me?"

"No…we just…well, I thought I saw something on the camera. I must have been nothing. Forgive me." Alfa-1 looked to the source of a slight breeze. "Why is the terrace open? Is your heat not working?"

"Oh, it is. But I enjoy the cold sometimes."

The doors to the terrace were open wide. Alfa-1 approached slowly, going as far as to draw his pistol.

"Tommy, it's nothing to worry about. Just an open window. I might not be as spry as I used to, but I doubt anyone can scale a wall before I could put one between their eyes." He gestured to a magnum on the side table. "Or I could at least call for help. I have the utmost faith in you."

On the terrace, Alfa-1 looked around. He looked up, to the roof, in case an assassin might be waiting there. He looked down to the ground, peeking over.

Priya held her breath. She had just finished climbing onto the terrace when this human came into the room, and fearing he might see through her camo up close, she swiftly dipped over the side and hung from the terrace. If the human looked down, really looked, he might notice a pair of hands that were tightly gripping the edge of the terrace. Priya swung most of her body under the terrace's ground, holding tight and using her strong abs to keep her hidden. But holding her breath, it was exhausting. And she was deeply afraid that the human's boot might wander to one of her fingers and step on it, and notice her. Above her, she listened to the stomping of his heavy boots as he wandered about the terrace, then stepped back inside. Priya exhaled softly, easing herself down to simply hang, and listened.

"Director, would you mind if I close the terrace?"

"Yes, Tommy, I would. I spent over half my life fighting. First it was the Insurgents, then it was the Covenant. I enlisted when I was sixteen, lied about my age to get in, and spent every day for sixty-five years fighting. Sixty-five years aboard ships, or in some disgusting planet's swamps. And all that got me through it, was the thought of coming back to Earth, and getting to feel a breeze. Tommy, a sniper can shoot me through the eye, I don't care. As long as I get to feel the wind on my face."

Alfa-1 sighed and nodded. "Yes sir, as you wish." He saluted, and left the room, the locks clicking into place behind him.

Priya waited a few more moments, listening to the shuffling of the lone man within the room. She listened to his footsteps, she listened to a soft clink of ice and glass. She listened to the gentle slurp as he drank his mineral water down. Again, holding her breath, she carefully lifted herself back onto the terrace, quickly skimming for any threats.

But there was no one, just the old man sitting at his desk, sipping his drink and looking over his computer files. His back was to her, but even if he turned to face her, she hoped that her camouflage would hide her from his sight. This was the best camouflage that the Covenant had to offer, supposed to rend the user completely invisible, but was still in the experimental stage. Somehow she feared it might burn out at the worst time. Slowly, she walked forward, her footsteps making not a sound. She had been trained in stealth all her life, she excelled at it, which was why she had risen to her present rank, despite her gender.

Step by step, she approached the director, watching his movements. She watched the shift of his muscles as he sat in his chair, watching how often he took a sip of his drink, and how long that sip lingered. She tried to measure the tension in his neck, to guess if he were going to turn around or look over his shoulder. She reached into her utility belt, and delicately took an ice cube from it, holding it between two nails. It was actually difficult. The ice cube was small, and her fingers were massive. She held her breath, as she was now directly behind her target, and slowly reached her hand out. His focus seemed to be on the computer. What he was reading, she wasn't sure. She was not accustomed to human writing, and could not read it without looking for a prolonged amount of time. Softly, she let go of the ice cube, and dropped it into the drink.

There was a soft splash, one that Hutchinson noticed. He turned to the drink, but did not find anything wrong with it, and excused it as the ice shifting as it melted. Priya slowly walked backwards, taking each step with care, as not to fall backwards now that she was finished. She reached the window, and carefully put a leg over the rail. Sitting on the rail a moment, she softly fell down, landing gently and with little noise. She kept pressed to the wall, as she slithered along the sides of the manor. There were no blind spots on the territory, but it was at least harder to pick out her cloaked form when she was pressed to the shadows of the manor. She did not climb over the same spot on the wall as where she came. She climbed over the opposite side, lest the videos be viewed and a consistency be noticed. When outside of the walls, she looked over her armor, her weapons, and her supplies to be sure she had not left anything that might be traced back to her. Shivering slightly at the cold air, she began the long trek to the human base, where she would sneak aboard a ship, as was in the plan.

In his room, Director Hutchinson took a sip of his drink. He found nothing wrong in the taste, but after a moment, he felt rather strange. Shaking his head, he instead took another sip of the water. There was a dull pain in his left arm, and he slowly tried to stand to reach the emergency button located beside his bed. But his knees gave out suddenly, and he fell to the ground, holding his chest. Breathing became hard. As he fell, he had managed to glance at touch of the emergency button.

Alfa-1 responded to the emergency call. He rushed to the room, but found the door locked. So that it would stay secure, none of the men had been issued keys, lest their keys could be taken off them, and an assassin could gain access to the room. Alfa-1 pounded on the door, shouting for the director to buzz him in. Thinking quickly, Alfa-1 ordered someone to go around to the terrace and climb up to let him in, but after the minutes it took them to get inside, the director had already passed. The reason would be ruled as a heart attack.


	20. Chapter 20

_Epilogue_

The _Through Darkest Times_ cruised easily into the atmosphere of Harvest. "Chieftain, are you certain about this?" Herculus asked Exilius, while both were on the bridge.

Exilius sighed, leaning back in his chair slightly. "No, I don't."

"How long since we were last here? I can't remember."

"Six months, captain. Six months since we left the humans, the Sangheili, and this planet."

Herculus chuckled under his breath. "How are you healing?"

Exilius sighed, and stroked the armor over his chest, brand new for today. Jiralhanae were built durable, but when they broke, it took longer to heal than other creatures. The weak boned humans might break more, but they could be back on their feet in a month. Exilius still was not as strong as he had once been. There were still nagging injuries here and there, but considering the consistent assault his ribs had taken during the time, he wasn't surprised. The important thing was, he was healing. "I can't order you to come, Herculus, if you think this is a trap. This isn't for glory of Doisac."

"I'm not leaving you now, chieftain. I was there for those horrible days in the trenches, I am not going to miss out on the festivals."

They both laughed. Exilius set the ship onto autopilot. All it would have to do is stay afloat in the atmosphere, and he set a failsafe in the form of self-destruct, should anyone other than him try to pilot it. Thinking better of it, he adjusted the failsafe to allow some to use it: those he trusted. With that settled, Exilius and Herculus headed for the docking bay. Their group gathered in numbers, bit by bit, until the entire crew of the _Through Darkest Times_ had piled inside of the drop ships, and soon they were leaving the main ship and traveling surface side. Touching upon the snow, they quickly poured out, as Jiralhanae never much enjoyed being confined in small ships. Exilius was at the front, as he was leader. On his right, was Herculus. On his left, was Iza.

"Any sign of trouble?" Exilius asked Iza. Iza's helmet had been modified beyond its original capacities. With a tap of his claw, the vision could go through several types of filter, or magnify well beyond its original capability. By the look of it, he was going through several filters and magnifying as much as he could, inspecting every shadow and stretch of land.

"No chieftain. I don't see anyone. That doesn't mean they're not there. It just means their cloaking is better than anything on Doisac. They're probably looking at me right through a scope right now…"

Exilius laughed. "Don't flatter yourself Iza, they're looking at me. They'll shoot me through the head. And then they'll kill Herculus. They'll kill the leaders, and then anyone who might take command of this mob. They would save you for last, giving you ample time to escape back to the ship. Speaking of which, if I die, and then Herculus dies, you'll receive it. The ship I mean. The crew's already been filled in."

"How can you be laughing, chieftain?"

"We got through the treaty and the talks, today is just the day that the treaty goes public to the three factions."

"But…but this is even worse! At least the preliminary talks were just a few of us. But now, everyone will know! Riots, mobs…this is the moment when some idiot throws a match into the powder keg!"

"That's why we're here. If the apocalypse happens, hopefully we'll be passed over. Lord Hood was a fool to have offered to host the leaders on Earth. Or, he was intelligent. I'm not sure."

And so, the small army walked forward, through the snow. There were many Jiralhanae, but also Kig-Yar and Unggoy, and the Prophetess of Wrath, the only San 'Shyuum who would be attending. She was walking towards the middle of the army. In an emergency, they did not want her to be put into the danger of the front lines.

Halfway to the destination, they saw the army of Sangheili approaching from the east. Exilius walked forward, alone, as Priya came forward from her group. "Hail, Jiralhanae."

"Hail, Sangheili. I assume it would be too much to have expected the Arbiter here."

"He's at the treaty signing. Along with Cerberus, and the Lord Hood."

Exilius nodded. "A pity. I would have liked to see him one last time."

"You couldn't even look him in the eye," Priya said sweetly.

Exilius looked to the west, sighing softly. "How much farther to the camp?"

"If I recall, around a mile." She looked to the army of Sangheili, and the army of Jiralhanae respectively. "May we walk with you?"

"In the spirit of the treaty, I suppose."

And so the two armies walked side by side.

If the humans had never left Harvest, or if they had and returned a time ago, Exilius was not sure. But after walking the designated mile, the united army came upon a rather large human camp. Fires were built, fortifications were made, and buildings had been erected. There were several humans moving about the camp, during various duties as well as some who had moved forward to meet the coming party.

"It seems like they are ready for the apocalypse," Iza muttered. "They've got their own little slice of Earth down here."

Exilius ignored him. "General Roberts," he said. "It is…I will admit, pleasing to see you again."

"Same to you, chieftain. Same to you. I'm happy that you accepted the invitation. You too, Priya. And both of your respective armies. There's Herculus, and how is 'Refum's mandibles feeling?"

"We did not come without hesitance," Exilius said. He did not enjoy small talk. "I'm sure you can understand."

"Yes, I was afraid you might have had us all glassed. But, chieftain, if there are any humans you shouldn't fear, it's us. We're the ones who were here from the beginning."

"Is that why you summoned us?"

The general sighed. "I've seen a lot treaties come and go. Maybe this one will fall the same, but I have a certain devotion to it. And I take pride. We created this, what's about to go to market."

"We created what may burn," Exilius said.

"Or it may last a thousand years. We can never know what the future holds, chieftain, no matter how much planning or time we put into it. The most we can hope to do is hold onto today, take pride in today. I take pride in what we did those months ago. I take pride that I was perhaps the first human who could call a Sangheili and Jiralhanae comrade. Do you feel any pride in what we did?"

Exilius nodded softly. "Yes."

It was a party of sorts, or an honorable feast, or any number of names for it. But united forces partied. They shared their respective foods and drinks with each other, spoke with each other. No one even paid much attention to the treaty that was being signed millions of miles away. It lingered in the back of their mind of course, but all things considered, it was a good day, that lasted long into the night.

"Have you tried this, chieftain?" Iza asked, coming behind the Jiralhanae who was sitting at the edge of the camp, watching the sunset. "Humans call it…'bee-ear'. It's something like the spirits that you and the Sangheili drink. A nice ONI lady gave me it. That ONI lady we all thought was a spy. Turns out she wasn't. She's one of the guests of honor. The general's way of saying he's sorry I guess. The Demon is here too. Apparently, his status as alive hasn't been brought to public yet. So he's been here for a while." Iza took a soft sip of the bottle he was carrying. "This stuff is awful! It tastes foul and disgusting, but perhaps you would like it. Because…you're foul and disgusting!"

"There was a time you wouldn't have even questioned me, for fear I would tear off your head," Exilius said. "What changed?"

"I realized you're a big softy at heart," Iza took another swig of the drink.

Exilius sighed. "Or by the foul scent on your breath, you're drunk."

Iza nodded weakly. "Possibly…" When he started to wobble weakly, his legs clearly close to buckling under him, Exilius reached out a massive hand and caught him. He pulled Iza close, and let him rest in one of his arms. Iza, finding this comfortable, tilted his head back and passed out into sleep. Exilius sighed, stroking the little bird. Bored now, Exilius stood, and headed back into the camp. There were talks and partying, grand fires burning to stave off the frost of the night. If an observer were to see this spectacle, Jiralhanae, Sangheili, and human speaking on equal terms, perhaps they would have hope for the future. Lucky fools, Exilius thought.

"Priya," he said, as the female came forward. "Enjoying the party?"

"Not exactly my thing," she looked over her shoulder. "But it is nice."

"What happens now?" Exilius asked. In his arms, Iza yawned once, shifted around, and then went back to sleep. "What do we do now?"

Priya sighed. "I don't know, Exilius. The Prophetess of Wrath is leading the troops in some sort of song she claims is an ancient San 'Shyuum cry of peace."

"In a couple days we should be able to get the radio signals from Earth. We'll learn if the treaty will hold, or if it will crumble to dust. Maybe tomorrow even."

"Tomorrow," Priya said softly. "Then we should enjoy tonight?"

"We should enjoy tonight," he nodded. And they went to enjoy the festival.

XXX

**This fic has been a long time coming. Friends came, friends left. All you have is the stories you wrote. You don't make something this big without making a few enemies. If you don't believe me, head over to Youtube, and do a search for me. There are videos such as "I win, Exilo!" or "Warning: Exilo is a mean person". I mean…wow. But anyway…this is it. This is good bye to Halo, probably good bye to many of my fans who are only interested in my Halo works. And, I don't know, probably somehow convenient that Reach comes out tomorrow. I didn't plan that of course. I've been writing and editing this up till when I was posting, I had no clue there would even be twenty chapters up till this moment. To say the least, I'm proud of this. I'm proud not only of all the work I have done this franchise, but I'm proud of the RP that spawned the ideas for this. I hope this ending isn't atrocious, but please keep in mind, this is the anchor to Recon, but also just a inter thing. There are fics beyond this. Besides, life goes on. This story goes on. And anyone is free to work in it.**

**This is Exilo, signing off. Good bye.**


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